Companionship
by ShadowBest
Summary: For some reason, people are drawn to Saitama. Whether that be because of his strength, his lack of discrimination or because he just had that certain pull on people. Saitama effected people wherever he went, some felt hate, some felt attraction; others felt some companionship. Watch and see as his fellow heroes are drawn into Saitama's life. *Will be undergoing editing.* *On Hiatus
1. Metal Bat

*** Can't really focus on the next chapter. Very frustrating. So, I'm editing. Wanting to do something with this story.**

 *** Edited: 9-10-18**

 *** Re-posted: 9-10-18**

* * *

The day was cloudy, but bright. There was a light breeze making the leaves rustle in their trees. Birds chirped to one another. It was like every other day, workers commuted. Some of them walked, enjoying the fresh air, others took the train; the familiar motion soothing. It was very peaceful actually; like any other day before. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the peace to be shattered.

In the distance; there was a rumble, the ground shook and a plume of smoke rose into the air in the east. Before people could really react, there were balls of energy crashing into the buildings, tearing into the foundation and making them begin to crumble. Screams rent the air, people began to run. The scent of fire soon overrode that of summer.

It was only minutes after the start of the attack when families were separated. Mothers were frantic; hearts pounding faster as they called for their children. Siblings desperately trying to cling to each other; only to be torn apart by the running crowd. Many attained injuries, having fallen over crumbling rubble; some pipes now visible as the buildings around them burst into flames with a shatter of raining glass. Only one building seemed to be untouched within the chaos.

Standing tall; somewhere towards the center of the city, a black onyx building stood. It was home to the government's newest disciplinary system. They were home to a new organization boasting the work of heroes. It had been erected three years before by a man named Agoni; the billionaire becoming inspired to do so after his grandson had been saved from a monster by some passerby. The elderly man has so far; been unable to find this man, but he still looked.

In the meantime; the association had garnered the attention of many aspiring people. Some had honestly wanted to help others, some wanted to get close to the rich man. Many times before he had to turn people away; after many had claimed to be the savior. He had questioned them; even brought in his grandson on many occasions, but none had been the person. It had gotten so badly, that a year and a half in from the rise of the work force; there had been tests made, buffers from the CEO of the Hero Association.

* * *

In the Hero Association Headquarters, people were scrambling, the lights were dim and the whole building had a dark aura upon it. In one room, there stood a group of workers. Each of them were desperately trying to regain control of the situation they were suddenly plunged into. They were yelling, all trying to be heard over the other. One male, a man wearing glasses with brown hair down to his ears stood in the center of it all.

Unlike the frantic people around him; he was calm. Hazel-colored eyes intently looking over the large screen hanging above their heads. He was silently assessing the situation. The man had always been one of the more level-headed people employed by the Association. The increase of monsters and crime rise didn't seem to deter him from doing his job. That of which was to provide a sense of safety and peace to the civilians of their portion of the world.

Next to him was a taller male with messier, black hair and a bit of a scruff on his jaw. The man with the glasses held files in his hand, the light glinting off of the lens as he called attention. "We need to assess the situation, put out a warning for the threat and send heroes capable of handling the monster." He said sternly, one hand reaching up, letting his fingertips push his glasses further up on his nose. His co-worker was one who better sympathized with others. He was the more approachable of the two. The man took his job seriously; but not to a level that it seemed like there was a steel rod inside of his spine.

He showed fear; he wasn't unaware of the emotion. But he was one of the ones that always managed to keep his head on right, if only allowed a moment to breathe. The man was always able to get closer to the heroes they worked with; which worked well for him. He was less likely to snap at others if they did something he didn't like; instead, he talked them through what they did wrong and helped them fix it. Even the S-Class Heroes; some of the most narcissistic bunch of people they worked with, respected him on some level.

"Sir," one voice called; a woman with black hair sitting at a computer. "the threat level has been deemed to be Dragon." The woman's voice was grave but shaking with some fear. "Smile-Man and Lightning Max had already been called out onto the scene." The man with the stubble at his jaw shook his head gravely, "that isn't enough," his voice was deep and commanding. "send out Metal Bat. He should be able to handle the situation." The woman nodded, brown eyes alight with grim determination.

* * *

Metal Bat had been walking with his sister Zenko, when the monster came. Everything had happened so quickly, he had lost her in the crowd of people running. He searched for her desperately, his head whipping into every direction as he looked. When his phone from the Hero Association rang, he had been near his wit's end with worry. So, no one could fault him for snapping when he answered it.

A rush of anger went through him as he exhaled out of his nose. He wanted to ignore the association, the teen didn't want to go fight some monster; even if it was threat level Dragon, when his sister was missing. But Metal Bat knew that he couldn't ignore the task, not when there was a small, slim chance of finding her. Even just defeating the monster would make her safer.

Nodding to himself, Metal Bat started running for the location given from the association. It had taken ten minutes, but he knew that he was headed the right way. Carnage and debris littered the streets, and the ground shook underfoot with every explosion. In the distance, he could see a twelve-foot-tall, purple being walking his way.

A few feet in front of him, Metal Bat could barely see his sister. "Zenko!" He yelled, pushing himself to run faster, the weapon which gave him his name swinging at his hip as he did. A small weight lifted from his shoulders as he saw she was relatively unscathed. Though she was crying, Metal Bat felt a twinge of guilt at this.

"Brother!" Zenko cried, eyes red and wet, tear tracks visible on her face as she beamed. Her sweater was covered in dirt and her skirt was torn, she had a few scratches on her cheeks, and a couple of bruises on what he could see of her hands. But she was okay, Metal Bat pulled his weapon from his waist. His mouth setting into a determined, thin line as he stepped between the monster and his sister.

Metal Bat put up quite the fight, but he fell eventually. The monster had some blue blood dripping from tears on his chest, and his thigh had a nasty bruise that was barely visible. The being grinned to itself, sweat dripping from its bald head and antennae as he lifted his head again. The girl was crying again, tears falling rapidly as she looked on her brother in horror; his left eye was swollen, the right had a bit of drying blood around the edges. The teen's right cheek had swollen and bruised.

* * *

In City-Z, there was a man sitting in a dark apartment. He was watching the news when the report for the attack on City-A aired. After the video had cut out, he had murmured to himself. _"Guess I'll go."_ Walking outside, the man was wearing a yellow bodysuit, paired with matching red boots and gloves and offset with a white cape. The sun gleamed off of his bald head.

He raised a red-leather clad fist into the air before he ran, leaving behind just the sound of rapidly distilled air, almost like a cannon. The man ran through the cities, occasionally jumping over streets and some bits of forest, not bothering to wait and find his way through. No one saw him, he moved too fast. Soon, he was in City-A.

He could hear a girl crying for her brother, black hair put up in pigtails as she tried to wipe away her tears. In front of her laid who must've been the sibling. His black and red clothes covered in dirt and bits of blood, large pompadour slightly askew from the last blow the man took from the monster. The monster was reaching for the pair in front of it, a glint in dark-colored eyes.

Before the mysterious being could reach them though, there was a whoosh, small crash and the sound of rubble being moved. Saitama moved the girl; finally having fainted from shock and fear to lean against the rubble, her brother laying next to her. The beast's eyes widened in surprise, fist closed over empty air where she previously stood.

The monster's voice rumbled, speech unfamiliar to the man. His disinterested face broke into a small smile before he turned. While he couldn't understand what the mysterious being said, he could guess. "I am a hero for fun." His voice was steady, no emotion could be told from it. His arms were crossed over his chest, muscles visible and shoulders wide even as his face reflected nothing.

The face contorted with anger, before its mouth began to move faster. The beast gestured to itself, deep purple hand hitting the chest before eyes bled from black to red. The monster's form became larger, muscles doubling in size and fangs elongating from the mouth, as thick as smaller tree branches, curving up and away from its face. Yawning slightly, Saitama spun on his heel, hand raised and curled into a fist as he felt it connect with the monster's chest.

With a rush of air, the mysterious being exploded, guts, blood and skin flying everywhere. The fangs flew off into the distance and Saitama's fist now had a bit of steam coming off. The surrounding area, though previously destroyed now had blood going into two different directions. The hero's face looked distraught, eyebrows furrowed and eyes practically white as he stared at his fist. Frustration bubbled deep in his stomach before he dropped to his knees.

"Not again, all it took was one punch. Damn it!" He yelled to the sky, fists thrown into the air. The man let himself yell for a minute more before he finally stopped; sighing quietly he stood up, turning to go home. Before he could, rubble shifted behind him; the sound of metal rubbed against concrete made him stop. A groan sounded before Saitama turned around.

* * *

The man was waking up. Teeth bloodied and mouth swollen, his eyes squinting with effort to see. "W-who are you?" Metal Bat groaned quietly. Dried blood making it near impossible to see out of his right eye, vision blurry in his left. He could see a man of red, white and yellow with a powerful build and a slight reflection near his head. Saitama stepped closer, kneeling to the ground. "Saitama." He responded, a surge of now unfamiliar emotion going through him as he looked upon the younger male.

"You need help." Saitama stated, reaching out to lift the man up. Metal Bat shook his head gingerly, arm shaking with effort as he lifted his hand, trying to wave him off. "Help my sister…help Zenko." His voice was raspy, but there was fierce protectiveness underlying in the tone. Metal Bat's eyes watered as he tried to keep them open, brown eyes just visible before he gave in, closing his eyes. Nodding slightly, Saitama reached for the girl; picking her up with ridiculous ease before setting her on his back.

He made sure she was settled in a way that she wouldn't fall off as he moved before he reached again for the male. "I'll take you to the hospital." Saitama said, ignoring the man's attempts at pushing him away. With a quiet groan, Metal Bat had given up; his chest heaving as his body throbbed from the effort, he could feel himself being lifted and shifted around before settling against a warm body. His grip was loose, but he had still managed to keep a hold of his weapon. The teen hero went to say something; his mouth moving but no sound was coming out.

Saitama shushed the man; shaking his head as he started to walk. "Don't talk." He said; the weapon the guy was holding now placed under his belt. The motion of it swinging against his leg becoming steady as he made his way through the rubble. The man walked away from the scene of destruction without looking back; seemingly leaving without a trace.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or the characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **AN: I know that Metal Bat could've beaten Vaccine Man, or at the very least lasted longer. But for the sake of the story, let's say that he couldn't. If you guys remember, there was a young girl crying for her mother and father. I decided to make the girl Metal Bat's little sister. I know the Chapter is short, and I may have ended it at a weird place, but this is where I felt it was comfortable.**

 **I do intend to make this a multi-chapter story, and I have the general idea of what I want. So, let's see how it goes. Suggestions and opinions are welcome. Just please be kind.**


	2. ZombieMan

*** This will reference some parts of the Webcomic/Manga – Manga mainly- so proceed with caution.**

 *** For sake of the story, I will be noting that Carnage Kabuto is stronger than ZombieMan physically. I don't know if this is true, but I do know that he could withstand his** **Carnage Mode.**

 *** Bit of a long Author's Note at the end.**

 *** I decided to tack on the ending with him, I had just intended it to be a paragraph of his part. So we'll have to see where that takes us.**

* * *

Zombieman was annoyed. Once a year, he had received offers to rejoin the House of Evolution. But he always refused. After five years of the yearly offer, they had occasionally evolved into threats. Zombieman always won. Genus would lose another subordinate and creation.

Not only was Zombieman annoyed at his creator's persistence, he was also annoyed at the fact that this year's offer hadn't come. The time had come and past, with no sign of another attempt. While the near-immortal S-Class hero didn't want to rejoin the House, he had missed the bloodshed he would get to cause.

Some found it unnerving that Zombieman wanted to set a feeling of fear and helplessness into motion, if he could; he'd probably cause a massacre. But the Hero Association had turned a blind eye to this fact, just happy with the results and effectiveness when he had went out into the field. Despite this intense want and need to spill blood, the undead hero felt remorse towards a human's death. He had no problem defeating Monsters and Mysterious Beings. But humans were another story. Maybe because he had once been one himself.

Zombieman tended to be a lone-wolf, preferring to work only with himself. He showed proficiency with weaponry such as a katana or guns. But he was adept at hand-to-hand combat as well. Though his physical prowess was on the weaker side. His regenerative ability is what had really shown the Hero Association his worth within their most elusive ranks. He was eighth among the strongest heroes they had, among sixteen.

He had waited a week for the offer to come to him. But it never did. Now, the need for some destruction was too strong to ignore. The hero was on his way to the headquarters of the House of Evolution.

* * *

Intent on having the place flood with the blood he would spill, he felt a brief rush of excitement go through him. It was mid-summer; the sun had shone brightly and the sky was clear. Zombieman had passed a down Bear-like Mysterious Being. A grim, intimidating smile showed briefly on the man's face. He was headed in the right direction.

A near fifteen minutes later, Zombieman had made it in front of the headquarters, a brief feeling of surprise flashed within him as he saw two unknown males in front of the building. One male was dressed in black and grey, synthetic blonde hair styled into a messy hairdo. Next to him was what Zombieman considered a mystery.

While the first male was a cyborg, and had an intense and intimidating aura around him. The second man was dressed in a yellow bodysuit paired with red boots and gloves and offset with a white cape. He exuded a fearsome aura. Power oozed from every spore, covering the man's entire frame. It was like a second layer of skin. He was bold, and his physique looked less than impressive or intimidating.

But Zombieman could feel the limitless power rushing underneath the man's skin. Slowing to a stop, the hero waited in the shadows of the trees behind him. Unsurprisingly, the cyborg had acted rashly and burned the headquarters down. Zombieman wasn't impressed. The cyborg's entire stance just shone with intensity, determination and a bit of anger too. Zombieman couldn't help but smile, amused when the second man had complained about the rashness the other man showed.

The two spoke for a moment longer before the bald man stepped forward, cape flicking slightly in the wind. He bent down, stated something to the cyborg, then; like peeling a sticker had pulled a metal door up, leading into the basement. Zombieman felt a small bolt of shock go through him but didn't otherwise react. He waited a few minutes after they had gone down the stairs before following.

He hadn't been down here in so long, but the place held so many memories – terrible ones – that he traipsed through the area with ease. Zombieman froze when he heard yelling, a man's voice pleading and the sound after distinctly gun-like. There was a crunch and then a splatter; like blood hitting the walls and floor. Unease washed through the hero, bile rising in his throat as he bent over, hands resting unsteadily on his knees.

Zombieman opened his eyes, a small pile of sick on the floor in front of him, his vision had swum a bit but he had managed to stay on his feet. The metal of the walls was soothing, even in his undead state. With a quiet groan, the man regained his footing. Unconsciously he headed towards what is a very familiar room to him.

Having spent most of his time in this room after Genus had realized the success he had in his attempts to obtain some form of immortality. It didn't take him long to get to the large room. The walls were white and pristine as ever, well, they would be. But they must've been in here for a while; judging by the scorch marks going up the walls the smell of smoke heavy in the air.

Zombieman couldn't stop the slight fear from bubbling up in his stomach. Carnage Kabuto, a large bug-like man – if he could still be called that – stood in the center of the room; taunting the pair he had seen outside. The cyborg was held up by the bald man, his head draped over his left shoulder and his hair styled into an afro. It was probably from the heat of his attacks.

One metal arm hung limply at his side, the other was wrapped around the man's neck. The bald man's grip rested on the inside of the cyborg's thigh and waist. Zombieman could see just a small hint of worry in the man's expression. Only for it to be washed away and replaced with determination. This simple change in moods seemed to change the man entirely.

Gone was the dull, disinterested look the hero had caught only a glimpse of. The roundness of his head was replaced with sharp lines and strong prominence in his face. Small, undetailed eyes were replaced with a vibrant brown; something glimmered in them. Even the man's physique changed, muscles seemed to become more defined and his shoulders had broadened.

The man set his companion down; quietly telling the cyborg – 'Genos' he briefly heard – to rest. Spinning on his feet, the man began to walk to Carnage Kabuto. Words echoed around the room, it was so vast. Zombieman couldn't help but feel his morale raise when seeing the man walk with such determination. He should've been worried, he knew what the beast could do; having been within these four walls so many times before. But this man wasn't a mere civilian, the hero could see that just in the way the man held himself.

Breaking free of his thoughts, Zombieman couldn't do more than watch helpless as Carnage Kabuto shifted before his very eyes. Brown exoskeleton was replaced with a deep purple and bright green veins, his horn had double in size and muscles enlarged until the beast was twice the size before. With a deep growl of unrecognizable speech, Carnage Kabuto bounded two steps forward. His large fist was clenched tightly and had caught the man with a sickening crunch.

Frozen in place, the hero could only watch as the man was slung around the room. Cape flying behind him, his face set into an unfamiliar expression. It was like playing pinball, the man flying in every direction only to be sent back into the game with an undercut or a kick. Zombieman broke himself out of the shock, reaching for his familiar Long-bearded Axe.

* * *

Carnage Kabuto was broken out of his murderous haze for only a second. Seeing movement in the corner of his eye. With another punch to his victim, the beast looked towards who had distracted him. His anger was replaced with glee; a feral grin sliding onto his face as he saw the familiar being. Running forward, he didn't see the shift in his victim's stance.

Before he could grab his weapon, Zombieman saw the beast break out into a run – his build was so wide the hero could see nothing behind him – before he could react there was an echoing crash. Distilled air rushed forward, guts, blood and innards landing on both sides of the undead hero. Zombieman threw his arms up into an 'X' shape; closing his eyes until the air settled again. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw the bald man in front of him.

His determination, wide build and the glimmer in his eyes were all replaced again with disinterest, an average build and blank, dark-looking pupils. "Are you okay?" He asked, voice flat and unwavering; but Zombieman could tell he was worried. Even if the man didn't show it, there was that sort of kinship between them. Nodding slightly, he lowered his arms. There was a bit of blood in his hair, and his arms were covered in small bits of intestines.

"I'm fine." Zombieman said, voice set in a pleasant tenor. He took a breath to steady himself. "Who are you?" He asked, eyes focused on the man in front of him, though he could see Genos talking to Genus in the corner of his eye. "I'm Saitama." The man said, sticking his hand out.

The hero nodded slightly, grasping the extended hand "Call me Zombieman." He introduced himself. "Are you a hero?" He asked, black eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Saitama's expression changed again – though not as vastly as before – his eyes, now wide and detailed, were brown and there was a happiness shining in them. "I am. Do you know of me?" Zombieman shook his head, feeling regret as his face dropped, eyes dimming again. "No, I don't. But no civilian could've done what you had just done. Are you registered with the Hero Association?" He asked but having already answered his question.

If the man was registered, then he would've recognized him. "What's that?" Saitama asked, dejection replaced with confusion, black eyebrows furrowed as his head tilted to the left. Zombieman squashed his surprise down; not wanting to offend the beast who moved to attack him – he wouldn't have been able to survive if it wasn't intervened – "The Hero Association is fairly new, having only been around for three years." Zombieman started to explain, staying in step as Genos came up to them and Saitama turned to leave.

* * *

By the time they had reached the edges of City-Y again and started into City-Z – it was a four hour walk between – the sky was dark, very few stars in the sky tonight. There was a bond between Saitama and Zombieman, with a little bit of friendly hostility between the undead and the cyborg. Saitama expressed a rare show of surprise as he saw Zombieman didn't show any fatigue. The registered hero couldn't keep himself from looking around as they stepped from the occupied part of the city to the abandoned. There was a noticeable change between the two.

The group of three spoke for a few more minutes, questions being asked from Saitama, Zombieman explaining patiently how the Hero Association worked, with a few disparaging but well-meaning comments thrown in by Genos. By the time they broke apart, the moon was high into the sky. Zombieman walked away with a small smile on his face, fondness for the odd pair bubbling in his stomach. Waving to Genos – a stiff goodbye and slightly inclined head in return – they parted ways at the dividing gate.

* * *

The next day in City-A, in the hospital wing of the Hero Association Headquarters, Metal Bat began to stir. Flashes of red, white, and yellow with a slight gleam went before his eyes. The slight echo of his words, telling the man to help his sister. There was a phantom-like heat around his waist. The lack of weight and comforting familiarity from his weapon.

Shifting slightly, Metal Bat felt the softness and slight weight of sheets and a hospital blanket. As he regained his senses, the hero became aware of a quiet beeping, a slight pain his arms and a dull throb at the crown of his head. Quiet murmurs broke through his muddled mind; words discernible even as he strained to listen.

Eyes opening slowly, everything was blurry for a few moments before his vision cleared. Dark brown eyes moving languidly within his head. Metal Bat could see the walls were painted in a comforting grey and a medium-sized tv up on the wall between his bed and another. Metal Bat tried to whip his head around to look for Zenko, but there was a crick in his neck that caused him to wince in pain with the attempt.

"Your sister is fine, Metal Bat." A voice spoke from his left, the suddenness of it causing the teenage hero's body to stiffen. There was a doctor sitting next to his bed, unfamiliar to him - despite getting beat up a lot, he didn't need to go to the hospital too often - Metal Bat saw a man with glasses and brown hair standing beside the doctor. This one he recognized, but the tired male couldn't recall any names.

"Who was that man who saved us?" Metal Bat asked, voice quiet and slurring as he fell back into sleep; eyes already shut, leaving him unaware of the stir he had just caused within the Hero Association.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's Note: Hey, thank you for reading. I am aware of Zombieman's regenerative abilities; being able to regenerate with just a head, and that he could survive CK's 'Rampage Week'. But, like I said above and with in the last chapter – pertaining to Metal Bat – let's say he couldn't.**

 **If you couldn't tell at first, this is based within the second episode/chapter of One Punch Man. I am going to try to follow up until the anime's end; maybe beyond. We'll have to see.**

 **I will be changing some thing's maybe taking out some of the part with Sonic and the Paradisers but also including someone's presence at Saitama's training sequence. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story.**

 **For whatever reason, the story didn't register that I had put this chapter in earlier - around eight in the morning - so I'm redoing it.**


	3. Child Emperor

*** This story is inspired by** **TheChickenMc's 'The Champion's Challenge'** **as I had stated in the last chapter. But very loosely.**

 ***It is meant to be fun. I will not focus so much on fight scenes or anything, just the relationship between others and Saitama. I have always felt happy when reading fan fiction that showed more on Genos, Saitama, King and Bang. So, this is what I'm doing. But with them and others because I have an active mind and it was nagging me into doing this. I didn't fight it too hard to be honest.**

 *** I forgot to mention in the last chapter, but as you can see I didn't do one for Genos and as you can probably guess, Sonic either. Their relationships will be already established, I liked how it was done, so I won't change that. Maybe include a bigger part for a later chapter, but they probably won't get their own.**

 *** As for the practice between Saitama and Genos, imagine it the same, but with Zombieman and Child Emperor there.**

* * *

It was an overcast day; the sky was grey and the clouds looked heavy with rain. But it was still dry. It seemed to be the start to any other day, but today was special. Today was the annual Hero Association Entrance Exams. The air was abuzz with excitement. People went around the block; there were so many ready to try to join.

Men and women of every shape, size and color; even some children – there were conditions and limitations of course – were standing in line. Each of them was talking, some louder than others; boasting about their abilities and why they think they should be in this class over any others. Others were simply talking to themselves; words of encouragement really. Most people however, were trying not to let their nerves overcome them. Some were doing better than others, a slight shake to their hand or their face and body a bit heated with a flush and the rapid beating of their heart.

The ones who weren't doing as well were looking green, a hand clasped to their mouth and the other cradling their stomach. Most weren't successful. There were piles of sick scattered around the sidewalk. It made the air smell terrible and others felt sick and threw up in response to the overpowering stench.

* * *

Child Emperor scrunched his nose in disgust, mouth firmly shut so he wouldn't let the scent settle on his tongue. Ignoring people trying to get his attention, he instead had pressed a button on a remote; the motion of the spider legs coming out of his backpack familiar to him. He blocked out people's 'oohs' and 'aww' as they settled on the ground lifting him into the air until his feet dangled three feet from the concrete.

As he moved inside, Child Emperor took a deep breath, relief coming in waves as the air in here was fresh. Well, it was heavy with sweat, but still loads better than outside. Reaching behind him, he pulled a lollipop out from his backpack; letting his eyes rove as he unwrapped it and put the treat into his mouth. Brown eyebrows furrowing, Child Emperor pushed through the crowd; going to where they held one group doing side-to-side hops. "Zombieman," the young hero called over the crowd – one of the instructors called out for the time to start – "what are you doing here? He continued, having come up to his fellow hero.

Child Emperor couldn't help but be surprised at the sight of him. Rarely did he see the undead hero outside of meetings and the extremely rare passing in City-Y. "I'm here for a friend." Zombieman explained, pointing towards the group of three working through the exercise. "I was reporting to the Association when I had run into him and I decided to stick around…" the rest of his explanation fell on deaf ears as Child Emperor followed where the man was pointing.

He nearly dropped his lollipop; the hero was so surprised by what he saw. Unlike the men on either side of him – both were slow, unsteady and sweaty – this man was a mere blur. Yet at the same time, he was not. The man moved so fast that he had multiple afterimages on either side. So instead of one man, there appeared to be six. "That's your friend?" Was all Child Emperor could manage to ask – the instructor called for them to stop – "He doesn't seem _human_." He said, stressing the last word.

Child Emperor looked up to the older hero – his spider legs having gone back into his backpack – he was shocked to see a slight smile resting on the pale man's lips. "He is." Zombieman said simply, watching as Saitama stepped up to them. "How did you meet him?" The hero asked, unaware of the approaching man. Instead of Zombieman it was Saitama who answered. "I saved him." Child Emperor heard, the voice steady but emotionless.

The man in front of him was about average height, he was muscular – but not overly so – his skin was pale and his chest and stomach were both firm. Child Emperor was surprised, the man's jawline was strong and his cheekbones were high and prominent. He was very handsome. But while his aura screamed of power and strength, there was an underlying emotion.

It took him a few moments to find it, but once he did, it was a very obvious thing. His brown eyes were dull and lifeless – like a corpse – but the man was still alive. 'Well,' Child Emperor corrected himself 'he is existing.' For no one could say they were alive with eyes lacking life like his did. "Who are you?" The man asked, breaking the young hero from his thoughts.

"I'm Child Emperor, S-Class; Rank 5." He introduced himself, sticking his hand out, the hero made sure to include his title; wanting to see how the man would react. He didn't do much. He didn't flush in embarrassment, didn't start peppering him with questions. His eyes didn't widen or light up with excitement. The man blinked languidly. "Oh." He said, face resting in one of disinterest.

"I'm Saitama." He said, taking the offered hand. He shook it firmly before turning to Zombieman. Before he could speak, the instructors called for the next exercise. "I'll be back in a minute." Saitama said, walking away before either could respond. Both heroes watched as the group – now consisting of five men – line up for the 1500-meter dash. The instructor raised his arm, holding a white flag in the air. The men went into a sprinter position.

Once the flag went down, they broke out into a run. But neither hero was focused on the other participants. Instead, they tried – in vain – to follow Saitama, who was nothing more than a blur. Child Emperor could barely believe his eyes. The blur went through one circuit, the other runners showing signs of struggle and surprise as they felt the air gush past them.

Saitama started around a second time – still a blur – the instructor was watching in shock, eyes tearing rapidly between the man and his stopwatch. Two others were struggling to put up the finish line. It was only when Saitama crossed – visible now, face showing an expression of such intensity and seriousness now that no one dared to approach – that they could see him. Instead of the muscular build and slight power showing through, his build had become larger, his shoulders were wider and his abs and muscles were more pronounced. Zombieman was the first to move, managing to get three steps ahead before Child Emperor could make himself move.

"You did a good job Saitama." Zombieman, voice laced with a warmth that Child Emperor had never heard before. "Thanks." The man – Saitama, the young hero reminded himself – said, hands resting lightly on his hips. It took a few moments more before the S-Class could make himself blink, he opened his mouth to speak, trying to figure out what to ask first, when something just clicked within his mind. "You're not sweating." Child Emperor said, unintentionally slipping into an accusatory tone. Saitama looked towards the child – face once again one of disinterest.

"I guess not." He said, not at all surprised. "Do you want to come over after this?" Saitama directed this question to Zombieman, turning his body slightly to better face his friend. "Genos and I are going to spar after." He continued, ignoring the slightly disgruntled look that had overcome the calm with a small smile. "Sure." Zombieman said, still looking disgruntled; but not wanting to miss it.

Child Emperor was barely listening, mind elsewhere before he registered what they were talking about. "Would you mind if I came along?" He asked, not entirely aware of what was coming from his mouth. It wasn't until Saitama stared at him for a few moments before his brain had caught up with his voice. The hero flushed with embarrassment, looking to the left of the pair and at the floor. But he didn't retract his words, now that he realized the chance to collect data on the upcoming hero he wouldn't be cut from the hero association, not with the physicality he had shown already.

* * *

Saitama was surprised, this kid – hero – his mind supplied, had asked to tag along to watch a sparring match. His first instinct was to say no, he didn't know much about the kid anyway. But something made him hesitate, there was a sense of familiarity and affection towards the child – like one would feel towards a younger sibling – Saitama looked towards Zombieman with the question in his eyes. The undead hero shrugged, gesturing between his friend and co-worker in response.

It was Saitama's decision. "Sure kid." He said with a sigh, unconsciously reaching towards the hero and ruffling his brown hair with some affection. Eyes widening, Saitama looked swiftly at his hand and the kid again. Zombieman was very surprised by the act, but at the same not surprised at all. Sure, he only knew Saitama for a little while, but if you put aside the insane strength and power he held and the disinterest in nearly everything there was something about the man that drew you in.

The man who claimed to be a hero for fun, just had this presence. Not everyone was going to like him – no one would ever have that – but the people who did were drawn into like moths to a flame. Which – Zombieman found fitting – would be deadly but still enticing. "My name is S-Sei." Child Emperor spoke quietly, breaking Zombieman from his musings. He had a slight blush but he looked pleased too, he didn't scramble away from Saitama's touch anyway. His hand was still resting in the kid's hair actually.

"Sei it is." Saitama agreed, a slight smile on his face as he continued to pet his hair affectionately. The man was beginning to feel alive again. For the first time in three years.

* * *

It had been four days after the Hero Association Entrance Exams. Four days since Child Emperor had met the man who had changed his life – second man that is – he was in City-Y, at home, sitting in front of a hand-built computer. The screen was fuzzy, like it was disconnected from something. But it still worked.

He was talking to the first man who had such a large effect on his life – he found that both had an equal standing but they were different at the same time – the first man, was as close to having a mentor as Child Emperor was going to get – since both had shared an interest in machinery and showed higher intellect than others they shared a kindred spirit of exchanging knowledge.

Which is why Child Emperor being in contact with him again. "Metal Knight. I think you'll be very interested in the data and video I had sent you." The young hero said, speaking around the lollipop in his mouth.

On the other side of the screen, in a dark room in an unknown location sat an elderly man. At least, if his bushy, white hair was any tell, he was elderly. There was an earpiece attached to the right side; letting the man hear Child Emperor's words. All we could see from the dim glow of his computer was a blue button up shirt, covered with a white lab coat, a wide smile, showing some of his top teeth and the bottom part of a large nose.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's Note: Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm having a lot of fun with this story – If no one could tell with how fast I'm updating – I will admit I did struggle with this part.**

 **I had been thinking of it yesterday, and I have plans for the end of the anime. I only hope it will come to fruition like it has in my mind. But we're not there yet so let's not worry about it.**

 **Anyway, I had such issues with this chapter because in my haste to start before I had lost my train of thought; I had started the chapter I mean to post after this one. So, I have to rewrite it just like I did this one.**

 **Because of my mistake and rushing, this turned out differently than it had the first time through. But I am more pleased with this one. So, fingers crossed you guys felt the same way. Let me know what you think and tell me if you'd like to see anything specific happen. I'll try to make it happen.**


	4. Amai Mask

*** May contain spoilers of the webcomic and manga. So, readers proceed with caution.**

 *** I hated that I had problems with this chapter; but I couldn't kick the idea, so here it is.**

 *** It will contain bouts of oocness, but that's the point. It helps the story.**

 *** If anyone has any suggestions for how I should handle the ending of this chapter, it would be welcome. I'm not entirely sure how I want to go about it, so anything on that may sway me.**

* * *

The sky was dark. Stars barely visible above the city lights. All was quiet. Only the occasional car driving past or some nocturnal creature foraging within the trees could be heard. Fog laid like a thick blanket upon the ground, a light mist and the scent of pine needles heavy on the faint breeze. Sometimes, the night seemed like it was an entity itself; the creatures and mysterious beings prowling within its grasp felt hostile - in a way that was different than the ones during the day.

Shadows coiled in the dark, thick and threatening; it made others feel fear. Most not knowing what laid beyond them. To some though, they welcomed the shadows; content in its embrace; thriving in the shelter it provided. Things were different during now. Some people felt more alive during the day; feeling refreshed and drawing comfort from the suns rays. Others thrived at night. Feeling better in the dark than they do at night; more awake and aware within the shadows than in the light.

* * *

Amai Mask liked the night. It was when he felt he was the freest.

During the day, he had to juggle being a model, a musician and a hero all at the same time. He loved his work; really, he did. If he had any reservations about it, then he wouldn't hold all at once. It was just, after a few years of the precarious balance; it began to overwhelm him.

Like the rising tide, it was steady but slow; but expected. Every day there was a moment of so overwhelming that he wanted to scream. But, eventually; he would calm. The torrent of emotions would recede. It made him feel refreshed. Bared to the world again, he would feel as if he were a new man.

During the night however, the handsome hero didn't have to worry about any call about a Mysterious Being – though he was rarely tasked with those now – or one of his agents calling for one reason or another. They wanted him to come in to work on a new song; or they needed his opinion on some design or huge decision among the Hero Association. In the dark, at home; he didn't have to feel the instability of balancing three jobs. He didn't have to suffer from whiplash as he tried to move in every direction.

The first year had been the toughest on the young male. The power and stability and excitement he had felt; to be doing what he wanted to, had slowly been sapped away from him. His muscles ached with deep-rooted pain. His throat had rubbed raw with the constant strain as he had practiced songs for hours of the day. Every night, he had fallen into bed; head pounding with rushing blood, a slight ache behind the eyes as he tried to relax.

Within two months into his careers, the strain had begun to show. His voice had become weak and tired; there were bags under his eyes and his hair was disheveled. The lack of effort in his appearance had become apparent. It was only his pride and the need to prove himself that things had changed. The process had been slow and shortcoming at first; many had doubts about him.

His agents had thought he'd been unable to handle the pressure. The Hero Association had spent more time urging him to rest and to share the burden; instead of trying to shoulder it all, instead of handling the resources and letting the systems fall in efficiency. The man had been slow to climb in ranks, but he had done it. Eventually, the hero had managed to show his reliability and work ethic to each of his careers; rising to the top in each one.

Over time, he had gained fans and talk-show offers. The Hero Association had extended the offer to join the Hero Association Ranking Committee. His coworkers kept offering to move him into S-Class. Which had been his goal at some point. But when he was climbing the ranks, his views has changed.

Amai Mask had seen things that he hadn't been able to forget. Shady dealings, rookie crushing and fighting within the ranks; all because of the need to be seen holding the most power. People who were too weak had climbed the ranks and then tried to go beyond a class of their standing. Others with power had used their abilities or connections to crush those underfoot.

More often than not, C-Class and B-Class heroes had ended up in the hospital of the Hero Association because someone had an inflated head, and their level of importance had risen too high. After Amai Mask had reached the top of A-Class, he had decided to remain there. Enforcing his idea of heroism on those of lower standing. Simultaneously stopping those too weak or vulnerable to rise into S-Class.

It was infuriating that he couldn't do anything about those who already resided in the prestigious class, but he felt some modicum of comfort that he could stop others from getting into the same place. Within two years; the man had gained enough financial and social standing that people would begin to feel some fear and trepidation for him. Things had changed from what he had aimed to be when he first started; but time did that to people. The man's hero name was very fitting. All anyone ever saw of him was a façade, one of conceit, charm, and precision.

It was all he ever showed anyone. But, while it hid the fact that sometimes, a task was too large for him to handle without a moment to breathe; it also withheld his blood lust and darker tendencies from the public eye. Amai Mask was a hero. No one had doubts about that, if there were any; all one would have to do was to ask about his opinion on how the Hero Association was run.

But, the man had violent urges, a near unquenchable need to see the worst in people; if only to soothe the beast within. Maybe that was why he loved to agitate the others. Even if he had every right to; or no right at all but doing it anyway. He wanted to see how far he could take things before others took the plunge; unable to handle the gentle teasing or the venomous barbs hidden within a silver tongue.

While the hero held a high morality for justice, he also had within his grasp; close to his chest, the mere wants to get under every person's skin. The hero thrived on the people's negative emotions towards him; just as easily as one would on their mother's milk. Amai Mask groaned softly, breaking himself out of his thoughts as he let his head fall onto his steering wheel. His forehead pressed into the smooth, firm and unrelenting leather ad he exhaled deeply. Minutes passed slowly, the only sound within the car was the steady and quiet of the hum of the engine.

His heart beat heavily in his chest, the blood rushing through and within his veins rapidly. It caused his ears to muffle slightly and his skin to heat as blood pooled under his skin. The model let his fingers clench against the steering wheel, holding the tension for a minute before easing up gently. The act had soothed the man.

Amai Mask took a deep breath, exhaling sharply through his nose. Becoming settled, the man pushed his shoulders back. Opening the door and letting a leg stretch towards the ground before cool air rushed past the hero. It was a smell heavy with the scent of oncoming rain and pine needles. The A-Class hero walked towards his destination, locking his car with two clicks of a button as he did.

* * *

The building in front of him wasn't much to look at. Weathered-boards colored brown showed signs of decay around the corners. The windows were smeared with dirt and the dust laid heavily upon the panes of glass. The door looked weakened and unstable, like it could fall apart any moment. There were cobwebs in the corners, only visible because of the open single bulb of light illuminating the small opening.

Despite the run-down and instability of the building, the air was thick with the scent of delicious food. The walls oozed with the scent and held promises within. The model shook his head slightly, closing his eyes briefly as his stomach rumbled. Amai Mask let his hand rest on his stomach, pressing it against the clothed skin before letting his hand drop. The man stepped into the small udon shop, the damp coolness of the air and near-silence outside was instantly replaced with warmth from the kitchen and bodies alike, the sound buzzing with happy chatter between others and the sound of chopsticks hitting ceramic bowls.

The space was as small as it had seemed on the outside. It was bright and the walls were littered with various posters and hand-written signs of contests held from time to time. Some showed of a spicy udon-bucket challenge – if one failed they'd get ten thousand yen, while if one succeeded it'd be fifty thousand – others showed of dishes they had here, with the special being an udon bowl paired with white rice and freshly-made gyoza. Tables were fit haphazardly but methodically to make as much use of the space provided. It made it a little difficult to move, but it seemed to work all the same.

Amai Mask had just seen the flash of light on metal when a man with messy brown hair and a white rag wrapped around his forehead turned around. A welcome resting on tip of his tongue before his brown eyes widened in surprise. "A-Amai Mask…" the chef stammered. The hero simply smiled indulgently and gently pushed past the civilian; yellow-gold eyes set on the cyborg across the room. "You must be Genos." He said, pushing his hands into his pockets, letting his thumbs rest outside of the material as he stopped in front of the small table.

* * *

Saitama let his head rest against the warm wood for a moment, small drops of sweat spattered his forehead; eyes blank as he looked out into the room. Mouth open slightly and soft breaths pushing past his lips as he recuperated from the spicy noodle challenge. The bald – newly instated – C-Class hero was about to speak to the cyborg when black dress pants and the bottom portion of a light blue shirt and the right corner of a white coat came into his view. With the way he had laid his head on the table, he was now looking straight at a man's right hip.

The nail on the man's visible thumb was manicured, but the muscle and hair on his arm clearly stated that he was in fact a male. The man's words were garbled, Saitama's mind becoming hazy as he thought of the futon waiting for him at home. He was very tired. "Sensei." A voice broke through his slurring thoughts. Saitama hummed in response, lifting his head to look at the person in front of him.

The cyborg was young – only nineteen – but the passion within his yellow eyes spoke of pain beyond his years. The vehemence set in his jaw was resolute. The teen was very serious. Sometimes too urgent. He was very talkative too, not realizing that he had gone over the word-limit that Saitama had set. Anger pushed him to the man he was now. But he had a long way to go.

It was this desire to learn – even if it was only to become stronger – that Saitama had begrudgingly taken him in. Not that he really had a choice. Genos had been there, attaching himself to the older man's hip ever since he had come to his apartment after the Mosquito Affair. He had tried to send him away, not wanting to have a disciple. But the younger man persevered. The word no and similar remarks slipping from one ear out the other.

It didn't take long for the cyborg to worm his way under the older hero's skin. Saitama knew that he griped, he bemoaned and acted like he didn't like the cyborg's presence. But both knew, that if he truly didn't want the teen in his life; he wouldn't have agreed to let the man live in his apartment – despite the allure the pile of money and not having to worry about the rent for the next two months – he could easily send him on his way. Saitama didn't say anything about it, so neither did Genos.

Saitama was broken from his silent musings when Genos spoke up again. "Saitama-Sensei." He said, eyes bright and filled with heat, brown eyebrows pushed down slightly as he looked at the intruding man. "This man would like to speak to me, may I be excused for a moment?" Genos looked to Saitama, the extremity dialing back and the angry frown vanishing from his lips again.

"You're an adult Genos," Saitama started, making himself sit up now as he spoke. "you don't need my permission to talk to someone." The hero groaned out, bending his neck until he heard a crack. He started rolling his shoulders, wishing to get the stiffness from them out when another voice spoke up. "Actually, Saitama," the voice was smooth; holding a hint of eloquence. "I'd like to speak to you as well if that's okay." The man declared. Saitama nodded slightly, not looking to the source of the voice as he lazily waved his hand. "Sure, go ahead and sit down." He said, picking up his glass of water and gulping it down quickly.

* * *

Amai Mask was surprised, the cyborg held more significance than the A-Class had expected, now that he could see him properly for the first time. But that wasn't the only surprising thing. It wasn't even the most shocking thing actually. Instead of the cyborg – Genos – sitting alone like he first thought; he was sitting across from the C-Class Hero; Saitama. The singer knew that they had been seen together; the intel from the Hero Association had informed him of this fact. But the hero hadn't expected to find them together still. He had thought they were in passing; and that he'd find one tonight and the other in the morning.

The hero still couldn't wrap his mind around the reasoning they could've held to be in each other's presence. Genos had this resolute ambience about him; it screamed of ferocity and anger and pain and the need for revenge. It drew the A-Class in. But the C-Class hero; he was another story. While the cyborg looked threatening and you could see the promise he held; which was why the man had sanctioned the cyborg's jump to S-Class.

Saitama held another kind of power; his outwardly appearance held no sign. The first impression hadn't helped any matters. But Amai Mask could tell with one glance the hardships the man would face just because of his appearance and unpromising nature. The man was of average height, some muscle was visible underneath his clothes. But that was the best part of him.

His head was perfectly round – almost like an egg shape – and his eyes were dull, with only the pupil visible. No color at all. His face seemed to have this reset to be inexpressive. But, the A-Class Hero could feel some semblance of the strength the man hid. It rolled off of him in waves; like the water building as it swelled towards the shore.

The power coming off of this – seemingly unimpressive – man was suffocating. The feeling was so stifling that it seemed to physically set a weight on one's shoulders. The feeling was insupportable. It would make lesser people buckle under the pressure. But not him.

The man with the expressionless face and near-dead eyes never wavered from the power he held within his body. "Dude," The voice pushed through Amai Mask's mind, making the man jolt slightly in surprise. "are you going to sit or not?" The voice was toneless, but there was something that made the A-Class sit down roughly. "Thank you for letting me join you." Amai Mask said, not entirely sure why he felt the need to thank the C-Class – secret powerhouse or not – he hardly ever spoke to those of lesser rank than him. Rarer even than that did he not have anything disparaging to say against someone.

The hero mentally shook his head, waving away any random thought before he turned towards the men. "Saitama, Genos," he started, voice warm and soothing. "I'd like to welcome you to the Hero Association personally…" Amai Mask meant to say something more; but was stopped with a raised red-leather clad hand. "How do you know our names?" Saitama asked, surprising the hero as he met vibrant brown eyes.

The changes were small, almost like someone had drawn more detail and emotion into the man. His face was angular now, jawline strong and tense slightly as he had a small frown on his lips. His cheekbones were prominent on his face, the dead, corpse-like eyes now filled with life; making the color vivid and eye-catching. It wasn't just his face that had changed; but his body too.

His muscles were obvious now, better filling in the costume he wore. The yellow bodysuit, which was paired with red boots and gloves and offset with a white cape would've seemed silly. But the man who wore it was anything but at the moment; and it had made the costume seem less foolish and more threatening. Even the fact that he was bald didn't make the moment seem less significant.

The light glinted off of the bald head, but the man was unfaltering as he looked at the A-Class. The observation of the changes had only taken a minute, but it seemed like longer. The man was looking at him with such magnitude in his eyes that the thought of waving away his questions didn't even cross his mind. He was honest instead.

"I'm part of the Hero Association Ranking Committee." Amai Mask answered promptly, letting his fingers rest against his chest as he gestured to himself. "I was the one who had given consent for Genos to go into S-Class right away." The model had opened his mouth to continue, but yet again; he was cut off. This time by the cyborg himself. "If that is the case, then why was Saitama-Sensei placed in the lowest class." The cyborg's voice had come out in a growl. The black, metal plates of his arm heating up slightly as there was an orange glow between them. His fingers were splayed and, in his palm, there was a ball of heat building.

The model let his gaze shift to the young man; his mind registered the passionate, heated gaze meeting his own. Anger clear in the yellow eyes. Genos was bent slightly over the table, now standing; his other hand gripped the table tightly, he was unaware or uncaring that the wood began to crumble within his grip. Despite the threatening pose he held, Amai Mask felt none of the deeply rooted panic he felt when he looked at the bald hero a moment before. Instead he felt a wave of annoyance wash over him as he let an exasperated sigh rush past his lips.

"Maybe if you'd let me explain. You'd know." The hero said waspishly, yellow-gold eyes meeting the other pair. They were sharp and filled with vigor of their own but the cyborg was unyielding. The man crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at the temperamental cyborg. He didn't look away or blink from the teen, but he knew that the patrons around them were beginning to feel scared, the intimidating aura coming from the cyborg. While it didn't make the A-Class step down, it didn't make a good impression on the civilians he would now have to protect either.

The tense moment was broken by a hand landing on the teen's metal shoulder. "Genos," Saitama said; tone laced with more authority than he has shown before. "sit down, your scaring people." His voice was steady and light, but the fingers holding the cyborg's shoulder were squeezing in a gentle manner. Though if he put just a tiny bit more of pressure; all three of them knew that he could crush the metal underneath.

Genos sat down with a hefty thump, the chair groaning with the weight. There was still the fire and force burning within his eyes; but the air began to cool down when the sound of whirring fans could be heard. The metal and orange glow dimming once more. Amai Mask was a little surprised; and slightly amused. He had heard the cyborg address Saitama as 'Sensei' but he wasn't sure he had heard right.

Even with the power the man held, the cyborg wouldn't have known right? The pride of being in S-Class would've made the cyborg feel superior. But the model had been pleasantly surprised at the control the C-Class held over the teen. With six words, he had diffused the situation bubbling between the two hotheads. What was amusing being the fact that the cyborg was pouting now.

Gone was the intimidation and inordinate potency and anger. But it was replaced with petulance and crossed arms and sparing glances to the powerhouse across from him. Amai Mask couldn't stop the small smirk coming to his lips as he watched the transition. "What were you saying?" Saitama said, once again breaking the A-Class from his thoughts.

"Because I am on the committee," Amai Mask continued, tearing his eyes away from the sulking cyborg to the C-Class. "I was given your files to help me with my vote on your placings." He explained yellow-gold eyes meeting rich brown ones. "While Genos had evidence of his power, and he had scored perfectly on both the written and physical exams, it had enabled him to jump to the top class." Amai Mask kept himself from looking to the cyborg as he spoke. "While you had passed the physical exam with flying colors" the A-Class let a small smile grace his lips as he told him this. "even going so far to break previously held records in every category." His eyes moved over the hero again, considering.

"You had barely passed the written exam, scoring so low that if you had missed even two points, you wouldn't have made the cut." When Amai Mask said this, Saitama didn't react; his legendary poker face back into place as he listened. "While some workers commented that your abilities made it seem that there was a god residing within your body" here Amai Mask let the question color his tone. "with no further evidence of your prowess, and some incredulity at what _was_ shown, it was nothing more than speculation. Placing you at the bottom of C-Class." Amai Mask glanced between the two heroes; no emotion slipping past the tireless lack of expression of Saitama's face while Genos looked deep in thought. His mouth was still set in a small frown; but there was understanding within his yellow eyes now.

Genos opened his mouth to speak; but Amai Mask surged forward, feeling a small amount of vindictiveness as he interrupted the cyborg. "I'm sure you could go through the ranks quickly; with your power." The hero said; leaning forward in his seat now. "But if you go too fast; people would believe you are a cheat." He said, watching the man's face for any cracks; any sign of expression other than indifference. "I could help refute that of course, if you'd let me." Amai Mask said, the deep-seated need for knowledge pushing him through his actions.

He hadn't intended to extend a hand to help. Hadn't meant to approach the man yet. But he was here now. This could be his only chance. He couldn't turn that away just because of the unexpected turn of events, could he? Amai Mask knew that he wanted to keep the powerhouse close to him; help the man rise in ranks, hoping that the man could help him in return.

He wanted to know of how the man had gained such power. But he had to get close first; earn his trust. Then he could ask, maybe then he would be told. What the A-Class didn't realize that it wasn't his only motivation pulling him in towards the C-Class hero. But something him, deep inside his mind the need for companionship compelled him.

* * *

Unconsciously he was walking right into the man's web. Even if he hadn't meant to; even if Saitama never intended to draw him in. It had happened. The man's presence did that to people. But they didn't know that. None of them did.

Amai Mask was brought back to the present when he felt a hand grasp his. "Sure." Saitama said simply, agreeing to take the man's offer after Genos explained the power and sway he had over the people. The man didn't become a hero for appreciation or anything of the sort. He had meant it when he said he had become a hero for fun, and he would continue to say that if people had asked. But that didn't mean the hero couldn't want the praise given, even if he didn't need it right? Besides, if it saved the man the trouble of people turning on him; all the better.

"What's your name?" Saitama asked the A-Class, looking to him now. Amai Mask smiled slightly, a hint of warmth in the expression as he relaxed. "Jun." He said simply. His shoulders relaxed as he began to feel some comfort with the company before him. Maybe the A-Class had gotten more than he bargained for, coming here tonight; but maybe he had gained a friend too? Someone who could see beyond the veil. Silence settled over the trio as they turned into their own thoughts.

* * *

It had been two weeks since the attack on City-A, caused by the purple Mysterious Being. Two weeks since the Hero Association had sent out a distress signal to one of their S-Class heroes; Metal Bat. They had expected the teen hero to throttle the beast. His prowess and strength regaled among the workers; paired with his hand-crafted, unbreakable weapon which gave him his name, they expected him to best the monster with ease.

Instead, they had found the young hero beaten and unconscious, pompadour-styled hair out of place only slightly; in the next hospital bed from his little sister. A week before, the teen had woken briefly. Some vitals showed signs of healing. In one moment of apprehension, the teen had uttered words that had sent the association into a dizzying spiral. They had tried to question the man, but he was unable to stay awake. The beating had taken such a toll on his body that the man had been pulled back under; not having woken since.

The Hero Association was doing everything it could to hurry the healing process; but whenever approached, the doctors only stated that he needed to heal, and resting would allow him to do so properly. His sister; Zenko, had woken only a few days after her brother had emerged. Their doctors were adamant that they check over her own vitals and administer and medicines needed before allowing the workers to move toward her.

After being sure she would be alright – having only passed out from stress and shock – they let in the men. One man, tall and bearded; with black hair messy had approached her first. Soothing the young girl from worry about her brother; he had assured her that he was healing and that he would be awake soon. Even going so far to let her stay here until he was awake and well.

The second man, one with brown hair, lying flat and styled professionally; wearing noticeable silver-rimmed glasses and wearing a crisp suit paired with a green tie had watched in silence. Mouth firmly set into a small frown as he let his coworker ease the girl. This man could do no such thing; much too serious and wanting answers quickly, he couldn't handle soothing a little girl's worries. Even if she was the younger sister of one of the S-Class heroes.

After Zenko had settled back in her bed, tear tracks visible and eyes rimmed in red again; the man with glasses approached. "Miss Zenko," he said, tone grave and voice firm. "would you mind answering a few questions for us?" He pulled a chair up to her bed, sitting down and plowing on before she had given any answer. "Do you remember anything about the attack on City-A." He started, ignoring the look of indignation given by his coworker.

The man listened intently, jotting down notes as he listened to her re-telling. Barely showing any outwardly signs when she had expressed her happiness at her brother finding her; or the fear she felt as she watched him fall. Only when they got closer to the end did signs of excitement push through. "One last question Miss," he leaned forward in his seat; hazel colored eyes meeting dark brown.

The bespectacled worker pushed his silver-framed glasses up before continuing. "your brother had spoken of a man. One who had saved you. Do you know of this man?" He asked, gaze intent on hers. Zenko shook her head, eyes wide and moving to the body in the next bed. "He did?" She asked, voice small and quiet. "I don't remember too much. There was a gush of wind." She said, eyes now resting on the hospital blanket, her pointer finger drawing patterns on it as she spoke.

"There was a slight crash and the sound of rubble being moved, but then I passed out." She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. The worker sighed, leaning back in his seat. He was hoping that the girl could help them. Waving to his coworker, he moved to stand up. But before he could say goodbye and turn around to leave, she spoke up.

"If my brother said someone else had saved us, then I believe him." She said resolutely, her small mouth setting into a determined line as she ignored the disbelief flash across hazel eyes. "When you find him, I'd like to meet him. Will you make that happen?" Zenko spoke now to the bearded worker. Dark brown-near black eyes glanced briefly with hazel before looking back to the girl. "We will." He promised, unable to say no to the girl pleading with him, so helpless in the hospital bed.

The man with silver-rimmed glasses sighed, turning away from the girl as he walked briskly to the door. He had no leads, and an unconscious S-Class who had claimed someone else; someone unknown to the association had rescued them. A little girl who had been of no help, but had gained the promise of his coworker, roping him into the mess more than he already way. He walked away, files clenched within his hands; hand-scrawled notes them.

He felt that he was missing something; some big puzzle piece. Like he was unable to connect the dots, but what could it be? The man waved the feeling of unhelpful familiarity away. The person couldn't be too far. He thought to himself, unaware that he had already run into the being.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's Note: Hey, I hope you liked this chapter. I did have issues with this one though. I had to scrap it two times before I could write it. I'm sorry it's posted a little later; but I'm just glad I got through this.**

 **Comments and feedback would be appreciated. I hope I did well enough for this one. Keep an eye out for the next chapter.**


	5. Metal Knight and Silver Fang

*** As it will state in the AN, I did not have a lot to work with. So, this chapter contains a lot of OOC and general unawareness of how this character is.**

 *** What is known about this character – however little information there is – can be found on the Wikipedia page. I use these and episodes to follow the storyline.** **Because so little is known about one of these characters, I had decided to make this a double; featuring two heroes. I worked with what I had, and I am content but I hope it flowed together well.**

 *** Most information in this chapter may contain hints of spoilers from the manga, but I tried not to go into that. Proceed with caution.**

 ***Hopefully the ending wasn't too random. But I needed the character to come in again to lay out more groundwork for their relationship. Fingers crossed it isn't too weird.**

 *** I do intend to write a filler chapter or two for each developing relationship between a hero and Saitama, so expect to see some of those. I will try to mark them differently than the main chapters. Suggestions and opinions on what could happen with which hero would be appreciated. Just be sure to state your suggestions clearly and tell me exactly which hero (or heroes) you'd like to see play a part in them.**

* * *

Silver Fang sighed to himself; the warm breath making the hairs of his white mustache move. It was early in the morning and the sky was bright, sparse white clouds moved idly across. The eighty-one year old reached behind, fingers laced together as he let his arms stretch. The old hero was tired. His joints ached and it took a little longer for him to heal, but the man could still hold his own.

He may be old, but he was one of the strongest heroes in the Association. His martial arts training and eventual teaching had honed his abilities so much that he was still much faster than those decades younger than him. The man was humble; never needing to boast about his ranking or try to one-up others if he found himself having to work with other people, he didn't even feel the need to increase in rank. He took pride in his ability and his placing, but he didn't need to tell everyone, wherever he went.

Though those days of travel were few and in between. He tried to stay around City-Z. His home and the location of his dojo. It was more for sentimentality and the memories held within than the fact that he wanted to protect the place. In his prime, the dojo was filled with students. Each of them eager and ready to learn the art he had developed himself.

The hero knew though, that if something were to happen to the place he called home, while he would protect it; he knew there was always a chance of it crumbling. He could go to his older brother Bomb's dojo. The brothers were the top two Masters of the Martial Arts world; in this region of the world at least. The S-Class hero knew that his brother was stronger than he, able to surpass many of his fellow heroes even now. But his brother was content just to teach students once he had passed the pinnacle of his abilities.

He had too been content to teach others but after his prized disciple; Garou, had defected from his teachings. The man became a hero, realizing that he could use his abilities for more than just training others. Silver Fang watched the city for a moment, deep in his thoughts until he was broken from them by his cellphone. "Hello?" He said, after deciding to answer. "What?" He asked; disbelief coloring his tone. "In City-Z?" The hero didn't want to believe it; but he may have to move sooner than expected.

* * *

Within another part of City-Z, in the lone standing, smaller part of the Hero Association; for the first time in a long time, the City-Z branch buzzed with activity. People were scrambling here and there as they shouted over each other, each of them trying to be heard. It was the first time in years that the branch had been actively used like it is now. Some of the equipment and electronics ran a bit slow; compared to the high-tech, often updated material its better branch – the headquarters in City-A – had been given use of.

"Please, someone call all S-Class heroes within the city." One woman called, blonde hair usually done perfectly but now it look disheveled, there was a damp sweat over her forehead and her green eyes shone from the distress of the situation. Her coworkers nodded gravely; each of them trying to do as she had asked. One worker; another female, this one with black hair done up in a bun and her brown eyes shining with unshed tears called out to her. "Miss," She started, voice wavering her fear barely suppressed in her voice. "do you think we will survive this?"

The younger worker let her eyes flicker to the screen in front of her; it showed a meteor; now deemed to be Threat Level Dragon before meeting the green eyes of the one she had addressed. The meteor was so large and its velocity in which it was going to impact would be capable of damaging if not wiping out various other cities; with City-Z taking the brunt of the impact. The older woman let her mouth set into a grim frown. The terror and unease the younger showed had steadied her; allowing her head to clear.

It was because of this that her voice came out as steady as it did. "I sincerely hope so." Her tone held such an amount of certainty that the other worker smiled; her own spirits lifting with her words. ' _Let's just hope there is a hero strong enough to get us out of this.'_ She thought to herself. Despite the fact that people feared for their lives, children breaking down into tears as the threat loomed closer over their city; ignoring that the air within was so stifling with fear and panic that people were ready to break into riots at any moment.

* * *

None of this mattered to one man. Dr. Bofoi, otherwise known as Metal Knight was content within his base; location unknown and security measures so vast that it would take too long for anyone trying to come in without his express permission. Not that he ever allowed anyone the right. The man was secretive; all that was known of him was his higher intellect, ability to make and control machines which had given him his hero name. Only one had close contact with him before, and even then, it had remained limited and more in his control than the others.

Metal Knight was adamant in his secrecy, not letting anyone even his employers – the Hero Association – know much of the work he has done. The only things known about his physical appearance was his bushy, white hair, the fact that he has a large nose and often wears a blue button-up shirt covered with a white lab coat. The only thing someone ever saw of him was the bottom portion of his face, from the lower half of his nose down to the upper part of his chest. He wasn't the ideal hero; very cautious about any of the threats and holding little compassion and even less regard for those he viewed beneath him.

The man never aided in situations unless it would benefit him. The only reason why the doctor was still within the Hero Association – aside from his mechanical intellect – was the fact that the man was aware of the corruption within the Association. The fact that the man knew and wasn't above using it to reach his own ends made the man more of a liability they couldn't cut ties with. Today, the man had sent his battle bot; it was large and wide in size. But also capable in efficient flight with a vast number of arsenal held enclosed in its chest capacity.

He only wanted to test his newest missiles on the meteor; confident that his projectiles will stop the oncoming force. But, even if it didn't the scientist would have sufficient data collected to work on another batch. Somewhere far from the threat, in a dark room; the dim glow of computer light made the man's wide smile visible. The man was watching the screen intently, eager to test his new toys when; beyond the robot's sight, there was a voice.

"You are Bofoi correct?" A male's voice spoke out. In the dark room, the man's smile slipped away as his eyebrows furrowed; turning the bot's head to look over the right shoulder, he could see three people standing behind him. "You are the new boy; Genos." He stated factually; the robot's voice was deep and rumbled. The man greeted the elderly hero; Silver Fang formally. Finally letting his gaze slip to the next body; his eyes widened in surprise as his brain dredged up a memory of when he had seen the man.

"You are Saitama." He spoke into the microphone, eyes intent on the bald hero in front of his favorite robot. "I've heard much about you." The smile was slowly coming back to his face again; glee unregistered through the bot's voice. The man himself looked unimpressive, dressed in a yellow bodysuit paired with red boots and matching leather gloves, contrasted with a white cape. His bald head reflected the sunlight almost as well as the man's robot or the cyborg beside him.

Bofoi was becoming excited; though the man held no pretense of power, the newly installed measurement was collecting data. The doctor had installed it into his favorite robot after his disciple and closest confidant; Child Emperor had sent him a video of the man's prowess. The man was broken from his musings as the C-Class hero spoke. "You have?" He said, face set into an expression of indifference; eyes corpse-like and showing just the pupils.

The man tilted his head, arms crossed over his muscled chest – Bofoi knew that more strength hid within the man – "Child Emperor has told me of you." He said, interested as he saw recognition flash in the man's eyes. For a brief moment they went from just the pupils to a vivid brown; his face shaping from that of an egg to showing prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline. "You mean Sei?" The man asked, leaning forward now; there was a modicum of interest within his voice, barely detected even by his battle bot.

Metal Knight couldn't stop himself from being surprised; the near-unfamiliar emotion filling his chest as he studied the man with deep intensity through the screen. "He allows you to address him by name." The doctor commented; his words not exactly a question, yet they weren't stated factually either. "You must've made some impression to gain that honor then." The doctor felt a dizzying mix of emotions for a brief moment; respect for the man in front of him, brief amusement as he registered the shock his fellow S-Class Hero had shown at the C-Class addressing another in their ranks so intimately, a flash of what could only be called jealousy – he didn't like the thought of sharing the mantle with this hero – and a deep-seated curiosity that burned within him. "We must speak more." Bofoi said, letting the robot's head turn towards the large threat again; unaware of the surprise registered on the cyborg's face and the indifference reset on Saitama's.

He cursed softly. The meteor was too close to hold any beneficial effect for his missiles. It was also too large to be able to collect any data. The doctor readied his bot to leave when he was stopped suddenly. "I'm guessing you wanted to test something on the meteor." Genos' voice stated factually. Intense scrutiny bearing down on the man's robot that it was like he could feel it even here.

"I did." Bofoi admitted, shoulders slumping slightly as he mentally wondering why he hadn't made the bot move. "But the target is too close and too large to show any accuracy in the data collected." He said, speaking more to himself than to the men beside his robot. The doctor was broken from his upsetting thoughts when Saitama spoke up. "Is that all, you need it smaller?" He asked, tone steady and emotionless; the man was walking in front of his bot now.

His body had shifted from one that could be overlooked to one that had screamed of power. Muscles were more obvious – but not like those of Tanktop Master or even Super Alloy Darkshine – his face was angular again; and his eyes held such heat that burned like the meteor above them. "I can trust you to destroy any scraps?" He spoke, addressing the three heroes even as he crouched, white cape moving dramatically on the breeze. Dr. Bofoi didn't respond vocally but readied his robot to fire the missiles; a range of power of twenty each coming from both sides of the chest capacity.

Genos didn't respond verbally either; only nodding in a grave manner as he readied his arms. The hum from his body steadily becoming louder as heat flared from between the plates; causing his shoulders to give puffs of steam. Silver Fang simply moved into a stance; arms raised and hands poised to deflect anything that came near them. Before any of them could move or even blink; Saitama had jumped, launching himself into the air with a sonic boom. The wind – compressed within an instant – had come out in a large wave as he pushed through the air. Metal Knight could feel his excitement double as he watched the display of power.

His eyes burned slightly, but the scientist didn't dare blink; not wanting to miss a second of the exhibition. It was over as fast as it had begun. The man's body disappeared within a second; the meteor had begun to crack, blue light shining through from the force. With an ear-shattering boom, the meteor exploded; causing many meteorites to fly into every direction.

Neither person spoke as Genos launched himself into the air, using the fire from his shoulders to expel him through the sky. Dr. Bofoi launched his missiles, watching ecstatically as they met the meteorites mid-air. Silver Fang was a blur; rocks bursting as his attacks hit each of the meteorites within distance of him. It hadn't taken long, but the data collected from the test was efficient. Genos landed with a solid thud not too far from the bot. Legs sliding into a split as his metal hand met the cracked surface of the building they had stood upon before.

Smoke was heavy in the air, the smell of it and fire was permeating the robot's sensory systems. On the corner of the bot's vision, Saitama landed gently beside them; white cape smudged with dirt but otherwise intact. His face was set into one of indifference again, his head perfectly round. His eyes were no longer brown and bright, but only showed the pupil again.

"Guess that's that." The hero commented, uncaring if smoke entered his mouth. "Let's go Genos." He said, addressing the cyborg before he turned to walk away. Dr. Bofoi didn't know what he was doing exactly; but he couldn't stop himself from speaking before either left. "Wait." He called out, the urgency in his voice surprising even him. Saitama turned towards the bot again; the suddenness of the doctor's voice made Genos stop too.

The man's thoughts ran wildly for a moment. He wanted to phrase this in a way that he could get the hero to say yes. "Could we stay in contact?" He uttered finally, hoping that it would work; but otherwise unsure if he had expressed his wants directly. "Sure." Saitama said, confusion coloring his tone as his face shifted enough to let his eyebrows furrow slightly. "Was that all?" He asked not in a rude manner, just straightforward. "There's a sale today and I don't want to miss it." He explained, jerking his thumb over his left shoulder.

Dr. Bofoi sighed in relief. He wracked his brain for a moment before he started speaking again. "Call me Bofoi." The doctor remarked, not oblivious of the gravity his words held, but he didn't care. The man figured that if they were going to be in a long-working relationship – which he hoped they would – they may as allow some familiarity between them.

Though he wasn't one to act rashly, he didn't regret the honor he bestowed on the man. While his name wasn't unknown among people; he was often adamant on them addressing him by his hero name. Saitama nodded slightly; face indifferent again, but his eyes lit with a surge of understanding. "Call me Saitama." He said, waving slightly before he turned away; gesturing to Genos as he went.

Dr. Bofoi smiled to himself, the robot didn't move as he watched them go. In the dark room, his white hair reflected the dim light from his computers, his content smile barely visible in the lighting.

* * *

A few days after the meteor, the A-Class Hero Amai Mask was brought into a Hero Association Ranking Committee meeting. It had been an hour since the start of it, and the man was quickly gaining a headache; causing the man to let slip a quiet groan before letting his fingertips cradle his head. It had taken only ten minutes for his peers to sanction the promotion of the heroes Metal Knight and Genos. They had extended the offer to Silver Fang; but he had declined.

It had probably been a well-made decision. The A-Class was more familiar with the tenacity of the petite esper. Though these promotions had only taken ten minutes of the sixty they had been here; they had spent the largest portion of time going back and forth on what to do with the C-Class Hero; Saitama. Two of his colleagues hadn't wanted to promote the man at all. Adamant were they that he didn't deserve the increase in rank.

Amai Mask wasn't entirely sure of what to make them; he knew the power could be disbelieving. But when three S-Class heroes - even a new one like Genos - had given testimony to just how large of a part the low-ranking hero had played. It couldn't be ignored. Three other coworkers were ready to concede to this fact; but they were only willing to give him a promotion of forty ranks or so.

It seemed like a large jump. Usually it was. But, Amai Mask didn't think it was enough. From the file he had received from the man's testing; and the few questions he had managed to ask before the trio had parted ways that first night. He knew of some of his power.

Not enough to be satisfying of course; he wanted to know more. It was enough; however, to know that without Saitama, they couldn't have done as well or anything at all - S-Class heroes or not - he sincerely doubted that they could've worked in tandem without the bald hero. Jun still couldn't figure it out; but something about the man just had people drawn in, making them move at the man's pace. This, coupled with his immeasurable, inconceivable strength and its unknown origins had people wanting to know more of the man.

The model could see this just by reflecting on the changes in himself since he had met the man. Let alone the fact that if he offered the right information or a show of data that could be used extensively in the other's work; he could have Metal Knight - an otherwise reclusive and close-minded scientist and engineer - eating of the palm of his hand. What drew each of them in, almost like flies to honey really was the fact that he wouldn't actively do this. He was unaware of the sway he held over people if they got to know him. Which in fact, just made the hold stronger; each of them more willing to give towards the man.

"Amai Mask," one colleague; a man who had brown hair and hazel eyes, the color dulled a little by the thickness of the lens within his silver-framed glasses broke through his musings. The actor gave a slight indulging smile as yellow-gold eyes met hazel. "what is your intake on this matter?" The man's voice was serious, gaze intent as each of their fellows turned towards the singer. The hero pushed himself straighter; his eyes attaining a glint of solemnity that others wouldn't be able to doubt him.

"I believe he should be pushed up to C-Class; Rank 5." He said, his tone was one of persuasiveness and such finality that the others had been stunned into silence. Moments passed before one man spoke up. "Surely you're joking." The man laughed; a dubious tone underneath his words. Yellow-gold eyes flashed to the speaker.

Amai Mask leaned forward, his ambience usually enticing had turned threatening. He had risen without thinking, bending over the table; blue, shoulder length hair framing his face as his eyes flashed to a menacing red. A feeling of vindictiveness washed through the man as he watched the man squirm. "I assure you," he began, voice low and smooth; the clarity of it causing others hairs to rise on the back of their necks. "I am not." He leaned back again, aura unchanging but his eyes bled again to its usual color.

"I expect to see the new ranks in a few days. If they aren't to my satisfaction," here the singer paused; eyes lingering on the man who had spoken up before raking over each worker. "I will make the adjustments myself, and the person who had dared go against my ruling will find themselves out of a job." He smiled to himself, aware that his words didn't seem so threatening; but there was an unspoken promise that it may be more than the job they could lose. Satisfied with his work; the hero walked out of the room, uncaring that people felt fear in his wake.

He waited until he was out of the headquarters before pulling his phone out and dialing a familiar number. It had taken nearly a half hour; but the man had eventually persuaded his agent to cancel everything for the next day. A small sigh escaped his lips before he called an increasingly familiar number. The man hummed quietly as he waited for the call to pick up.

"Genos," he greeted the recipient of the call, his tone wasn't exactly warm; but it wasn't cold either. It was a happy medium. "I was wondering if your sensei would like to come to lunch with me tomorrow."

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's Note: Hey, I hope this chapter worked well. I'm not too sure but I couldn't get it just right. Just that I wanted Metal Knight to have a central part in this. Since there is so little known about him, I didn't have too much to work with. I hope people are okay that I included another hero, but I am content with it. If anyone has any suggestions on what could happen between them, please speak up. I would love to get feedback or opinions on what should happen in this.**

 **For the bit about Garou and Bang, I am not sure if he had been a hero before or after Garou's defection. So for this, I had gone with after. If anyone could find information on when he had joined the association and if this disciple had a part to play in the decision, please let me know. It'd be much appreciated.**

 **Also, for others who have reviewed about it, or would like to see it. I will try harder to show more on the relationship with Sonic and Genos and Saitama – the Paradisers Group and Mosquito Girl incident respectively – without entirely rehashing what had happened in the manga/anime. I know those bits were important; which is why I didn't feel the need to make any changes on their development.**


	6. Lunch with Jun

*** May contain spoilers to webcomic/manga. Proceed with caution.**

 *** Will contain OOCness. But that's what is making this fun.**

 *** This is just a filler chapter. Hopefully it will show development instead of just piling characters in and calling it good.**

 ***There will be another filler after this one. I need to put more between Saitama and each of the characters.**

 ***Saitama is realizing and accepting the change in his life and the part each of them will have to play in it. But, he doesn't realize yet how it's happening. Just that it is.**

 *** I hadn't intended for it to be this long, but I hope people are okay with that.**

* * *

Saitama was leaning back against his futon, his leg kicked up and ankle resting on the small table in front of him. His head was tilted back, resting on the cushion as he mindlessly stared up at the ceiling; indifferent to and unaffected by the light above. He had set the news on the tv, volume a low buzz. He couldn't think of anything to do for the day; so, he was stuck in the apartment. Genos was running errands now, he said something along the lines of him having plans; but Saitama couldn't remember what it was.

As he stared dully at the light, his eyes followed the movement of a fly hovering around the center of it. Thinking of Genos served to remind the man of the attachment he had felt for the cyborg. He was way too intense at times; and he couldn't take a joke often. But the kid had grown on him. He was strong too.

Nowhere near where it could stimulate the older hero; but enough in a way that it had been a pleasure to train with him. Even if the man ended up being pesky when reminding him. He was a thorn in his side; Saitama couldn't deny that. But he had grown fond of the teen. Not that he would ever say it to him.

* * *

These idle thoughts pushed the hero to reminisce about meeting the cyborg. The day had been cloudy but dry and it was silent in the morning. It was nice for a change – not having to wake to screams – the bald man had switched on the news and puttered around with little direction; moving to water his cactus. His acute hearing – heightened from his training – had been more than enough to listen to the low volume even through the glass door. He had been crouching, dressed in khaki shorts with a yellow shirt and black flip flops, when a mosquito – of all things – began flying around him.

The buzzing had been annoying and louder than it should've been due to his magnified senses. He had been able to ignore it for a few minutes; but the moment it had landed on his hand was when the man couldn't ignore it any longer. Not bothering to hold back; he let his palm hit; the force of the strike causing the air to be visibly pushed away. If it was anyone else without his abilities or other extenuating circumstances that made the person able to withstand at least a modicum of his power, they would've ended up with a broken hand.

The man had assumed that he was done with the pest – it was just a mosquito after all – but then the bug had flown out from the gaps between his fingers. Saitama felt a twinge of irritation as he began to chase it. Every time the bug had ended up getting hit; it had flown away unharmed again. It got to the point where he had to move fast enough for afterimages to form.

* * *

Each time he lamented the lack of stimulation and that he couldn't put in more effort than a single hit; this wasn't what he had in mind. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins which had bulged in his effort to exert enough strength to kill the bug. Also, some at his neck bulged as he ground his teeth in frustration, ignoring the fact that he probably looked insane, the man had jerked up, suddenly on his feet as the mosquito flew away again. He could feel his eyes shift to follow the irritating mite.

Saitama opened the glass door with more force than necessary, not letting his mind linger on the breaking glass or the sound of it hitting the floor as he grabbed bug spray and ran out his front door. He had left too quickly to hear that there was now a mosquito infestation; with unusual flying patterns. His mind was clouded with anger; eyes blind to his surroundings as he chased after it. He could only see the pest.

He had been running for a few minutes before he started to yell. _"Get back here damn it! You and I aren't done here yet!"_ His own words were muffled and barely understandable he had been so angry. Only when the mosquito had gotten into his mouth did he stop; the disgust of it lifting the red haze from his mind enough to hear Genos speak. After he had seen the number of mosquitoes out, he wanted nothing more than to turn back around and go home but instead had found himself caught in a raging inferno.

Saitama had made a joke about them; aware yet at the same time completely oblivious to the fact that he was now naked. After slapping the monster away – Saitama couldn't remember her name – he had turned away from the broken cyborg; ready to begin his trek home. Genos had said something – at the time his mind had been elsewhere – and Saitama agreed absentmindedly. After a week of peace; then having his ear yapped off and being insulted a few times in Genos' inquiry, Saitama had been ready to send the kid home.

But before he could, a mantis-like creature had broken through his ceiling; Saitama had reacted with little thought; snapping at the human-sized bug to pay for his ceiling. The cyborg was moving to jump out the window; but he had beaten him to it. Already having knocked out two other minor monsters before he had even landed. The one thing he had enjoyed about the whole ordeal was his brief time feeling like a bamboo-shoot. It had been pleasant.

One long rant, a couple of missed punches and a flurry of his own; **Normal Series: Consecutive Punches** and talking with a non-threatening cyborg gorilla had he and Genos working their way to find the ones the gorilla had spoken of. It had taken an hour and a half, nearly two hours' worth of running – normally a four-hour walk – to get to the House of Evolution base. Saitama had begun to feel some excitement about the possibility of seeing the defenses such a place could've had when Genos had acted rashly and burned the whole place down. He could swear, the teen was trigger happy with the way he attacked first and asked questions later. Saitama had ignored the presence he had sensed behind them, feeling that if they had wanted to attack or were part of the fortifications he would've done so already.

One long walk through a dark basement; a moment of Genos being a common work of art and another long tirade and boasting of abilities later and he had gotten to see if the beast had been as powerful as he had claimed. The only change in the monotony that had become his life had been the fact that in the same twenty-four hours he had gained two new people in his life. His emotions had become dulled or completely nonexistent over the course of his training and lack of effort he needed to put into the fights. But there was just enough to realize that these people had been affected by his presence, and he by theirs.

* * *

When he had gone through the fitness training; he had been disappointed in the tasks. While knowing that not everyone would have certain things to aid their strength; or put them on an entirely different level – like he and Genos – but it had still been lackluster. It was because of this that Saitama had been untroubled when Zombieman had decided to stick around. They had chatted for a moment, before they had to break away from each other. Genos had gone into another part of the building, where his trials would be better suited for his abilities while Saitama had gone to do side-to-side steps.

He hadn't bothered to dial his actions to one of normal paces. But he didn't need to put any effort to push himself either. Feeling sheepish that he had broken the floor; Saitama had stepped away to go back to his friend. He hadn't been surprised or shocked exactly, when he had seen another presence next to him. He didn't really react to it. Half-listening to the people in front of them, the hero had idly wondered how Genos was doing.

In the few minutes break between tasks; one thing had led to another and Saitama had accidentally gained another friend – another S-Class hero at that – he was happy about this fact. Not for the fact that the people he was surrounding himself were powerful, but after being bullied in junior high and then later; the constant rejection – from jobs and dating – then the training he had put himself under and the loss of his hair. It had been nice to gain something more than immeasurable strength for once. He didn't remember what it was like to have another person's presence in his life. Saitama did allow himself a moment to grieve for the lack of privacy and open space in his – albeit tiny – apartment.

Saitama still didn't want a disciple. But when Genos had asked for a sparring match; he was beginning to warm up to the idea. The hero had felt surprised – very briefly – when Child Emperor had asked to tag along. Despite this, the man couldn't bring himself to say no. Not after looking into the wide, brown eyes and seeing the hopeful look. He never thought of himself as a softie before, but it was a pleasant – but hindering – surprise.

The match had been fun, and it had taken his mind off the disappointment of his class ranking, even though Saitama couldn't have use of the full extent of his abilities – he wasn't entirely sure what those were really – only being able to put effort in at the end. Even if Genos insisted, the man found himself holding back; not wanting to hurt the kid who claimed himself to be his student. Saitama had been happy to find that the man wasn't a mess of broken metal pieces afterwards. He had even felt a wave of pride for the cyborg. The moment was broken when the man had realized how hungry he really was.

He had extended an offer to each of them to go for udon. One of his favorite foods, but while each of them seemed open to the idea, only Genos had tagged along in the end. Child Emperor – Sei – had needed to run to be able to make it to cram school. While Zombieman had said that he wasn't hungry and would catch up with them later.

Once they were at the udon shop, Saitama had suggested another match and had lost. He had been surprised when Amai Mask had stayed with them for the rest of the trip – he didn't expect the man to accept his offer. He half-listened as the A-Class spoke; but at the same time had been thinking of things he could buy at the upcoming sale for the next week. Saitama had been pleased to find, since he had met Genos he had an easier time remembering things; though it was little things and rare moments when he didn't need to be prompted. The newly-classed Professional Hero had received a second surprise that day; finding himself enjoying the company of the second male.

He had this air of superiority around him; that was evident just in the way he held himself. But it had become apparent when he had opened his mouth and started to speak. Saitama had been annoyed by it but as time had worn on that night; he had become accustomed to it. He never was one to be affected by things for too long. It was clear to see that the hero had an agenda in mind; but Saitama didn't care.

After Genos had explained of his power behind the scenes in the Hero Association and the pull he had on the public's standing, he could see the appeal of befriending the man. So, he did.

Saitama felt a warmth in his chest as he thought of the people who had become his friends. The man hadn't realized how much he had missed another being's company before he had gained it again. He wasn't sure if he could go back to being alone in his life. So, the hero had decided that he would just do everything in his power to keep them safe.

* * *

"Sensei," Genos' voice broke through his mind; jolting the man out of his position. The suddenness the cyborg's reappearance, and the fact that Saitama wasn't paying attention to his surroundings had caused the man to jump a little more than he had first thought. The man's foot broke through the table when he had sprung up. Genos only sighed before continuing. "don't you remember, you have a lunch planned with Amai Mask." He said, turning towards the small kitchen to put the groceries away.

Saitama shook his head, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't." He admitted, moving to put his boots on before speaking again. "Do you remember where it is?" He asked, standing up and bouncing on the balls of his feet as he thought of anything he could be forgetting. "It's in City-M, Sensei." The cyborg answered, cool metal hands pushing on his shoulders as Saitama found himself herded out the door. Saitama twisted his body slightly, opening his mouth to speak. "I will take care of the table while you're gone." Genos interrupted, snapping the door shut before he could say anything at all.

The bald hero huffed slightly, trying to ignore the fond smile twitching at his lips as he broke into a run. _'Cheeky cyborg, sometimes he felt like he was the one who lived there first.'_ Saitama mused to himself. The run had taken a little over two hours – after putting a little more effort into it – Saitama breathed deeply, feeling the air change as he crossed the boarders between cities. Stopping abruptly, Saitama groaned quietly, letting a hand rub across his face. Genos didn't tell him the name of the place, just the city.

Sighing to himself, he shook his head. He'll just have to search on foot and hope that the man was waiting outside. Ignoring the strange and hateful looks people gave him, he started his trek through the large city. It had taken a while, nearly an hour. But after bumping into a scarred man dressed in dark green pants, white jacket with the hoodie up and the bill of a black hat which was visible still – Saitama thought that was strange - and getting directions. He had eventually found the A-Class Hero.

* * *

Amai Mask was standing outside of one of his favorite restaurants, waiting for Saitama to appear. It had been nearly four hours after the time agreed between the man and the cyborg, Genos. The man was happy he had the thought to clear his entire schedule, otherwise he would've had to give up waiting. Not that he wasn't annoyed by it. He was, but it was easier to push back his slight anger knowing that he had no other plans.

The man was so distracted by his thoughts that he had been startled into action by Saitama's sudden appearance. Moving without any real thought, Jun had widened his stance; lashing a hand out – intent on giving a solid neck chop – before it was stopped midair by a red, glove-encased hand. "Dude is that necessary?" Saitama's steady, emotionless voice rang out. The A-Class hero was too shocked to respond. In his moment of inattention, he hadn't dialed back his attack.

Very few things could stop his attack like that, he moved swiftly and with bone-breaking strength. Demon+ or higher mysterious beings and the S-Class Rank two hero, Tornado of Terror were the first things that came to mind. Even if they had managed to stop his attack, they usually ended up with a broken hand or at least bruised in their efforts. Not even the green-haired esper could do it without exerting a bit more of her power than she usually did. Jun was so caught up in his mind once more that he hadn't realized Saitama had let go of his hand, or that he was now snapping his fingers right under his nose.

* * *

"Helllooo…" Saitama drew out the word, finally snapping the hero out of the depths of his mind. The man blinked slowly, yellow-golden eyes a little dazed before looking towards the bald hero. "good, you're back." He couldn't keep the cheekiness out of his tone, nor the slight smile from gracing his otherwise plain face. He really was hanging out with Genos too much if the teen was rubbing off on him like that.

"Are we going in?" Saitama asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of the restaurant. "Let's go." Jun said, shaking himself out of his stupor before stepping forward, leading the way into the building. It hadn't taken long to be seated. Saitama supposed it was because of how popular Jun really was. Though the waitress had shown a hint of disbelief when she had noted his company.

After that, Saitama made a point to ignore the dirty looks she had sent him. Mouth set in a firm line of displeasure and blue eyes narrowed angrily, Saitama was more than happy to ignore the woman. It was only Jun's presence that had stopped her from making a scene or doing something to his food or drink. "So, what made you want to do this?" Saitama asked finally, halfway through eating the food. It had taken a moment for the man to respond, having just taken a bite of his own food when the C-Class asked.

* * *

Amai Mask debated on whether he should just be straightforward with the bald hero. He didn't want to offend the man he was slowly coming to view as a friend. Though neither hero knew much about the other – this was their first outing together – the model found himself wanting to be a constant presence in this man's life. He found it refreshing that with him, he didn't have to act a certain way. He could be himself.

Jun was sad to admit – even to himself – that he didn't know who he was anymore. It served to push the want and the need to get close to this man. He hoped that with him, he could find out who he was; or forge a whole new person within himself. For years he had felt like he had been missing a part of himself. The hero had been surprised but not displeased when he realized that he had found a small piece of it when he met Saitama.

Clearing his throat, Amai Mask started to speak. "I was hoping to get to know you better." He said, deciding to just be honest. He opened his mouth again to talk but was interrupted. "Sorry dude," Saitama said; glove-clad hand raised in a stop motion. "I'm not into guys." Jun could feel his mouth hanging open.

That wasn't what he was expecting for the man to say. The surprise of this, and the way it was delivered – voice flat and tone steady, but piercing brown eyes showing seriousness in a rare moment – had caused Jun to start laughing. His cheeks flushed with heat as mirth bubbled up in his stomach; it had taken a full minute for him to stop. Muscles twitching with the effort to not grin at the confused hero in front of him, Amai Mask shook his head. "Saitama, no." He said simply.

Here he let his lips twitch into a slight, amused smile. "That's not it." He shook his head another time. Jun took a deep breath, hoping the pause would let him calm down again. "I want to be your friend." He said, voice steady and composed once more. "Do you think that could be something we could work towards?" The hero asked, in a rare moment of vulnerability; he let his eyes slip to the table between them.

* * *

Saitama was surprised. When Jun had mentioned wanting to get to know him better; his mind had jumped the gun and he assumed that the hero had developed feelings for him. Now that Jun had said he wanted to be friends; Saitama wanted to smack himself in the face. There was no way that the hero could've done that. Ignoring the offense, he had caused himself to feel, he shook his head.

It was impossible for Amai Mask to have developed those types of emotions in the short amount of time that they had known each other. Shaking his head again, the hero made himself focus on the model in front of him. "Sure, we can be friends." He said, shrugging slightly. Saitama wasn't opposed to gaining another ally; and if the man had gone out of his way to ask for it, who was he to say no?

Saitama was so wrapped up in this train of thought that he didn't see the surprise flash across Jun's face. "Thank you, Saitama." He heard Jun say, making the bald hero look up to the man. He was surprised and felt a mixed reaction of discomfort and happiness as he saw the wide smile on the man's face. "No need to thank me." Saitama said, barely keeping himself from mumbling in embarrassment. _The guy doesn't need to do that._ He thought to himself, pushing away the rest of his discomfort as he made himself focus on the food in front of him again.

The next few minutes were spent with idle chatter; going back and forth with questions so they could get to know one another better. When Saitama saw that Jun had relaxed in his company– he wasn't sure the man had realized how tense he made himself – he knew that he had made the right decision. He didn't understand all that had come from the amount of praise the man had heaped on him; but he still appreciated the fact that the man had felt this way. While they were on different sides of the spectrum when it came to popularity; Saitama could relate to him.

Saitama was surprised to find himself smiling and relaxing as well. They must've brought something out in each other, he realized as he laughed at something the singer had said. Neither hero had noticed what a sight the pair of them made for the other patrons. They had all been surprised and shocked when A-Class, Rank One Hero; Amai Mask had walked into the restaurant with the C-Class.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon that same day when Metal Bat stirred. His senses were returned to him slowly, first his hearing; allowing him to hear the beeping of the machine he was hooked up to, and the tv between the beds. Though the doctors kept the volumes low in consideration of the patients. He could even pick up the quiet chatter of the nurses outside of the closed door.

Next came the sense of smell. The suddenness of it had caused his nose to burn slightly. The first thing he smelt – which was also the most powerful to him – was his body odor. The fact that he had been asleep for nearly two weeks since that one moment of lucidity hadn't done him any favors. Wrinkling his nose slightly, Metal Bat made himself push past the whiff, so he could let his brain register other scents.

There was the sickeningly sweet smell that all hospitals seemed to have, but beyond that there was the wind blowing in from an open window. The next sense he had regained was the sense of touch – together with feeling of slow-healing bruises and an ache behind his eyes – Metal Bat stiffened for a moment; allowing the painful sensation to wash through him. His back twinging terribly as he forced himself to stretch. "Zenko," he groaned quietly.

He could feel a horrific pulsing along the crown of his head and he wanted nothing more than to allow himself to fall back to sleep. But the teen needed to know if his sister was alright. "are you okay?" He managed to force out; his words came out weak and breathy. "Nii-san!" Zenko cried out from the next bed over. He could hear her scrambling out from her sheets.

"You're awake." Her voice was soft and trembling. It made his heart ache when he realized that she was trying not to cry. It took Metal Bat a moment, but he finally managed to push away brief flashes of confusing memories – the gleam of light off something reflective, a bright yellow suit, and red hands – and open his eyes. Though that had felt like a task all on its own.

When he managed to open his eyes a chink, his vision was blurry, but he could just make out his sister's familiar shape. "You're okay." He whispered, letting a small smile grace his lips; even if it felt very painful to do so. He could see Zenko nod, could barely feel her hands shaking over his arm; wanting to hold onto him but finding herself unable to. They let silence settle over them, just enjoying the minute alone.

"You're awake." A voice said from the door, the sound having come from the left; making Metal Bat turn his head as much as he could. Unlike his sister's voice there were no tears being held back; no tremble of relief and sadness in this voice. He wanted to snap at whoever dared interrupt them, but he couldn't make himself do so. He was too tired, and the taste of dried blood and building plaque was horrendous.

"I was hoping to speak to you soon." The male continued; there was a reflecting light on his face – not quite like what he was remembering, but not dissimilar either – he could barely make out green near his chest area. In the state he was in, the S-Class hero was reminded of vomit. "Mr. Metal Bat," the man's voice was formal, but the teen could just hear a tone of sarcasm when he said the title. "would you mind telling me what you remember?" There was the sound of footsteps before the man's voice increased in volume; having just closed the distance with the waking patient.

Metal Bat desperately wanted to spring up and put himself between this man and his sister; but he could barely keep his eyes open and stay awake. Despite the hardship it was to do so, the hero agreed. He wanted to know who the man just as much as the worker did.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author Do.  
Author's Note: Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed this story. Just a few things. This chapter is longer than I thought it would be, but I hope it didn't drag on so long. If it did, please let me know and help me figure out how to keep from doing so in the next one. I honestly don't know if I am going to make the bespectacled worker bad or just a thorn in the side to the heroes. **

**Also, though it's fun and easier for me to come up with names instead of addressing nearly everyone by their hero name. It was harder for me to use the name instead of the hero name or descriptions I had set myself to use. (The hero, he/she, the man etc.) I hope this becomes easier.**

 **I am trying to keep track of the time passing in the story, so far I have counted twenty-three days. If someone counts differently, let me know and I will accommodate for it. I do not want this story to happen in the span of a week, but I hadn't realize just fast I was making the time pass between chapters.**


	7. Games at Bang's

*** This work may contain spoilers from the webcomic/manga. Proceed with caution.**

 *** Will contain moments of OOC.**

 *** It is another filler chapter. Doesn't do too much to push the story forward; just the relationships within. It's actually based off a special episode from the anime; so I didn't go too far into the interactions of the games. I didn't change too much from the games itself shown in the episode.**

* * *

Bang could feel a muscle twitch on his forehead. It had been five days now since the meteor had nearly struck City-Z. Four days since the hero's world had nearly been turned on its head. While he hadn't lost his dojo and his home, he had lost a sense of comfort within the world. He had been forced to realize that there was more on planet than he had initially thought. In the one hour that he had been out from the mountains, he had met the S-Class, rookie; Genos and the man he called 'Sensei', his eyes had been opened to power he thought would be unattainable.

The elderly hero had been curious, wondering why the C-Class was there, and while he didn't discriminate between classes; he still wanted to know. C-Class heroes were of the lowest class, usually reserved for those handling small crimes; store robberies and bike thieves and the like. But he held his tongue. He was there for a reason; and while Genos had been new to join their ranks, Bang trusted the cyborg to be aware of just what he was dragging the low-rank hero into. Hoping the teen was willing to accept the consequences of his actions if the other man had gotten in the way; he didn't comment on this matter.

He didn't regret his decision. Instead of being a hindrance like a part of Bang had expected; the C-Class hero had been able to destroy the meteor and even got the S-Class heroes to work together to not let the town be destroyed. Bang wanted to know what kind of man could hold that much sway over others. Though Saitama probably wasn't entirely aware of it, he still ended up gaining an ally almost everywhere he went.

The old man knew that that wasn't the case every time. No one would ever have everyone like them. The incident with the C-Class hero Tank-Top Tiger and his brother the B-Class hero; Tank-Top Black Hole had proven this. They were so upset by the jump Saitama had made in ranks; that they had lashed out. Intending to get the people to turn against him.

Bang wanted to stop this, something was pushing him to defend the man he had seen play a large part in saving the city. But his want to see what the younger hero would do, along with not wanting to make things worse if he had intervened; stayed the elder hero's hand. Instead, he walked home, deciding to approach the man again the next day. When he had heard of how Saitama had handled himself – with little interference from Genos – Bang was happy.

The S-Class hero had run into the pair the next day at the supermarket; his own disciple, Charanko staying at the dojo to clean. Saitama hadn't remembered the elderly hero at first; but with little prompting from Genos, Bang had managed to get them to agree to come to the dojo. Initially, he had planned to try to persuade them to join and learn the way of the art; but after seeing the man in action, then again when put in a corner; he had changed his mind. Instead of pushing them to learn from him, Bang felt some sense of familiarity with Saitama; like what he feels with his brother Bomb.

It was two in the afternoon now. They were late. While the S-Class hero wasn't a stickler for punctuality, he didn't appreciate them taking so long. The man's frown deepened. His eyes squeezed shut a little tighter.

Five more minutes past and his hands were clenched in fists. But before the man could decided to give up on the day, there was a knock on the door. Bang stood up swiftly, ignoring the twinge in his back from staying in one position for so long. "Come in." He called, shoulders tense and preparing himself to attack if it were someone unsavory. Before he could move, he saw the bright yellow suit that Saitama wore.

* * *

Saitama stepped into the dojo, pulling off his red boots as he went. "Sorry old man," He apologized, ignoring the indignant look Genos shot him. "there was some ninja trying to fight me." The man said simply. "He said his name was Speed-O'-Sound Sonic, Sensei." Genos informed him, bowing slightly to the elderly hero in greeting. Saitama waved away the answer. "I don't know how you can remember that Genos, it's a mouthful." His lips twitched slightly as he said this.

Bang was surprised when Zombieman walked in with them. He wasn't displeased with his fellow's presence. Just a little surprised. Nodding slightly in greeting to the S-Class, he remained silent; curious to see the interaction between the trio. "Saitama is right." He said, having waved a brief hello as he too discarded his shoes.

The S-Class hero was amused to see the serious look Genos usually held break as his yellow eyes rolled. "I know he is." The cyborg snapped, not unkindly. "Sensei is always right." A smile made his lips twitch as he watched Saitama give a yell; "I am not Genos." He said, before turning to the snickering undead hero. "It isn't funny man, don't encourage him." Saitama reprimanded, like scolding a young child.

Saitama huffed before turning to Bang, rolling his eyes. "Thank you for inviting us," he rubbed the back of his neck before continuing. "I hope you don't mind the extra body." Here, he waved a hand towards Zombieman. "We bumped into him on the way here and he decided to tag along." Bang simply waved a hand, smiling all the while.

"No, no. I don't mind." He let his eyes rest on Saitama, wondering how they had come into each other's lives before letting them look over the other two. "Thank you for agreeing to visit." Bang let his voice drop to a whisper as he led the trio further in. "It gets rather lonely, being just me and Charanko." He waved them to sit down as he grabbed a set of games he had put aside. "My brother Bomb tends to send more food than he needs to, and I didn't want to go to waste."

The hero kneeled on the floor with them, setting himself across from Saitama and putting Zombieman on his left, with Genos on his right. "I hope you don't mind if we play some games while we wait." He showed the games he had in his hands, some cards used to increase memory and two plastic; wide-ended hammers with a metal bowl visible. "The food will be just a little longer." He explained as he emptied his arms. Each of his guests nodded, causing the older man to smile.

* * *

"Saitama, would you mind if I asked how you came to know Zombieman." He inquired, not able to keep the question to himself anymore. It was Zombieman who spoke up. "He saved me." The man said; surprising the older hero from setting up the cards. "I was going to find the House of Evolution," He continued, making Bang look up from his task. "I had followed their trail." He pointed to Genos and Saitama; opening his mouth to speak before he was cut off.

"Dude, you're the presence I had felt." Saitama groaned, rolling his neck and lifting his face towards the ceiling slowly. "I should've guessed, but I had forgotten about it until now." He grumbled, letting one hand prop himself up as he lifted his right hand; scratching his cheek now. The bald hero was unaware of the surprised looks he had received from the other three. Zombieman blinked slowly, red eyes lingering on the man to his left before looking to Bang again.

"I had followed them into the basement where they held Carnage Kabuto." The undead hero paused briefly to explain the large, humanoid monster. "Just from seeing him and the transition when Saitama had angered him," Zombieman paused, taking a deep breath as he pushed away the deep-seated fear rising within him. "I knew that despite my regenerative abilities, they would've been useless against his power and strength." He couldn't keep himself from shuddering; closing his eyes as he had forced himself to remember the moment he thought he was going to cease to exist. His voice was emotionless but steady when he murmured quietly. "Saitama had indirectly saved me with one punch." There was a heavy weight around each of them now.

"You can regenerate, man?" Saitama asked suddenly, partly trying to ease the tension and party out of curiosity. The suddenness of his voice, and the slight excitement he had pushed into his voice had caused the other heroes to jerk slightly. Zombieman looked a little surprised, but he nodded. "That's cool." Saitama smiled towards the man, pleased to see the stress leave his shoulders slightly.

Zombieman could feel his lips twitch in amusement. He still couldn't forget, but the way that Saitama had broken the tension caused the undead hero to relax again. He didn't say anything, but he hoped his smile had portrayed the thanks he wanted to convey to the bald man. Saitama didn't respond physically, but Zombieman knew that he had gotten the message with the way they had jumped into the game and easy conversation again.

* * *

Minutes passed quickly as they played the first game. There was frustrated shouting, and laughter and more than once did Saitama have to give Genos a slight tap on the back of his head; keeping the cyborg from overreacting. He couldn't seem to stop from getting so into the game that his palm warmed with fire as he crouched across from whoever he was playing against. Despite the power and weaponry, the teen held, he was just a little too slow to win this game.

Saitama had apologized profusely when in the heat of the moment, the bald man had broken a portion of the floor when hitting it; he only meant to have as many cards go into the air as he could get. Bang was surprised but began to laugh, waving away the apologizes. There was a light in his eyes that hadn't been there for a while again. Having these heroes here was turning out to be chaotic, and loud; but it made the elderly hero feel a little more alive. A little younger.

After an intense game of rock, paper, scissors and a brief display of Saitama's rage and power – he had been unable to stop from getting hit when he lost – where he had given an angry yell and had hit the floor hard enough for there to be a shockwave and smoke from the impact. They had all become subdued as they got the chance to eat. The first few minutes were spent in silence; each of them going over the power Saitama had allowed to slip through. Except for Saitama. He was making a list of items he'd have to get from the sale being held in City-J; and thinking of Bofoi's request to gather data from him.

Saitama wasn't sure what he could do to let the man collect data. But he would help where he could. Hopefully that could be enough; maybe it'd be like his training. Just done a little more extensively. He'll have to ask when they get together.

Soon after, they had finished eating and gave their thanks to the elderly hero; the younger trio had left. Quieter and slower than they had come in, but still chatting contently as they began the trek to the bottom of the mountain. Bang smiled to himself, watching them go for a minute before closing the door and turning his back. There was debris and some smoke still, cards were scattered and the metal bowl they had used for the game would need to be replaced. But the S-Class hero was happy.

 _No wonder they had been drawn to the man._ Bang thought to himself, already going over moments of this day and comparing them to the time he had met the hero. Powerful people were attracted to more power. But, unlike the times when it'd all blow up in their faces, the elder knew that that wouldn't be the case this time. Instead of clashing personalities and overwhelming strength and differentiating abilities coming against each other. Saitama acted as the glue and a buffer for each warring character.

Bang couldn't help but want to be a part of that, hoping that he could worm his way in. With these thoughts; he stepped away from the door. Moving slowly as he let himself muse silently. He had a lot of cleaning to do.

* * *

A week after the trio had visited Bang's Dojo, some of the higher-ups of the Hero Association had found themselves in a meeting. This group consisted of a tall man with a bit of a beard, his hair was black, and somewhat messy. Next to him sat a shorter, but still tall man with brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. He was dressed in his usual crisp suit paired off with a green tie. But the most noticeable thing of this man were his glasses; silver-rimmed that reflected the lighting with thick lenses

Another man, towards the middle of the ten-person table was a man with a bulbous nose and graying hair. He was wearing a brown suit and a white undershirt with a red tie. Sitch had been going over the files for the most recent hero entries when he had found Saitama's. At first, he had been disbelieving; unable to comprehend that someone was able to exceed the Hero Association records by the margins showed.

But, after days of intensely going over the file and receiving updates of other hero's activities, he had begun to see it in a new light. It was unsurprising that Genos, the newly ranked S-Class cyborg had been seen with this bald man. They had come in to take the tests together. What surprised the man was the fact that the pair of them had left with S-Class heroes, Zombieman and Child Emperor in tow.

While Sitch had first waved away the incident as coincidence, he had been proven wrong days later when one of his coworkers had come up to him with information about Metal Bat and his stay within the hospital in the headquarters. The moment of lucidity had been short but enlightening. They now knew that the teen hero and his younger sister had been saved by another. But the information had kept coming. The oddity of the A-Class; Rank One Hero, Amai Mask being seen with this specific hero was something of interest.

That same day, Metal Bat had woken up and had spent two hours going over everything he could remember. It had worn the hero out, but it was informative. They now knew that the savior had been wearing something consisting of the colors red, white and yellow; paired with light reflecting from the man. It was too close to Saitama's description for Sitch to just ignore; but he still couldn't wrap his head around it.

Sitch hummed to himself as he gazed upon the information he had spent weeks gathering; the bald hero's file open beside the sheath of papers. His blue eyes burned from lack of blinking; but the worker still didn't look away. Sitch read through the file again. _You are an intriguing man, Saitama._ He thought to himself; staring at the picture provided.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's Note: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was fun to write once I got into the swing of it. I hope it was alright. So, I am going to go into the next arc. But I would like people's opinion on something. After going through the arc (at most, two chapters worth) should I do two more fillers before going into the next arc or try to limit the fillers and combine two heroes into one.  
I tried to do it here, including Zombieman on the trip with Bang. But it was brief. If people like the idea however, just let me know and I'll try to get them both to play an equal part. Also, I was wondering if I should give Zombieman a name. If you'd like me to do that, please leave suggestions for his name. **


	8. Mumen Rider

*** This may contain references to the Webcomic/Manga. Proceed with caution.**

 *** I did change a bit of the beginning from the episode this chapter was meant to follow. By placing this hero in the middle of the scene, instead of just arriving, and by compiling two episodes into one chapter. Also changing the ending from the episode.**

 *** Will contain bits of OOCness, but that's why it's fanfiction.**

 *** I know this is a longer chapter, but I did kind of expect it to be.**

* * *

It was a bright, sunny day in City-J. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, and there were sparse, white clouds moving across slowly. There was a slight breeze in the air; carrying in the scent coming from the sea. While there was an underlying scent like sulfur; it was otherwise pleasant. The sound of crying gulls and waves crashing against the shore meshed together and sounded pleasing to the ear.

It was mid-afternoon when screaming shattered the tranquility.

First there was a distant brown speck; but slowly it grew larger. Gradually it revealed a massive bulbous head. Disturbing and particularly ugly eyes became visible. Light brown spots spattered across the top of it's head, similar to sun-spots. A long, vertical mouth lined with sharp, pointed teeth came out of the water.

Instead of a neck being visible; large tentacles protruded; pulsating in the air. Chaos ensued as the beast pulled itself from the water. People ran, and children cried for their parents. Slim yet muscular arms reached across the sandy beach; clawed and webbed hands grasping at the grains. Slowly the brute was able to stand; strong, muscular legs holding the mysterious being up. It stood up to sixteen meters tall.

A cloth-like material covered the body; worn as one would a toga. The creature threw its head back and let out a roar so powerful the very air trembled. The mysterious being took a step, crushing abandoned umbrellas and coolers. In the haste to get away from the danger; there was a lone child frozen a mere foot from the beast. Tears streamed down the boy's face; eyes marked with red as he sniffled.

The boy was wearing a light blue long sleeve shirt with shorts in a shade darker. He had a small yellow bag going diagonally from his left hip up to his right shoulder. It matched a yellow hat he wore on his head. "Please…" The child sniffled; face cradled in his small hands. "Please help me." His shoulders shook with fear; the emotion so strong that it had paralyzed him.

The beast looked down; keen ears picking up the sound from the child. The tentacles extending from its neck fluctuated; the wide, vertical mouth moving, opening wider. The being reached for the minor slowly, its webbed-hand casting a shadow over the boy. Before the beast had the child in its grasp; there was a yell and a brown, black and green blur. The creature stopped; pupils dilating as it followed the bodies movement.

* * *

On the ground, the man knelt beside the child; panting softly as he rubbed some blood off his cheek. The hero had been nicked by a claw. "T-thank you." The child stammered; grey eyes wide with shock. His eyes were still wet and filled with tears, but he had stopped crying. The man smiled.

"No need to thank me." His voice was rough and scratchy; the cut already an angry red from irritation. He looked up, sunlight reflecting from the lens. They were cracked slightly from the rough landing. "Mumen Rider!" The kid gasped quietly, recognizing the C-Class hero in front of him. "Get out of here kid." The hero said; not unkindly, nudging the child away from him and the looming beast.

"It's too dangerous." He said; limbs shaking as he stood on his feet. Brown armor encasing his chest and back. There were black gauntlets on his forearms, paired with a matching set of black kneepads. His dark green helmet was covered in dirt, but it had done its job in protecting the man's head. Sweat poured from his covered forehead. He was of average height and weight; not very strong, but his indomitable will and unwavering sense of justice more than made up for his lack in strength or other abilities.

Before the hero could step forward; his eyes were drawn to a glint of light. Not five feet to his right, standing in front of the mysterious being was a bald man. He wore a bright yellow body suit, and matching red-leather boots and gloves; the white cape on his shoulders moved slightly in the breeze. The beast roared again; muscular arms bulging as he reached out. "Get out of the – "Mumen Rider yelled; the rest of his shout dying in his throat as the man moved.

Almost too fast for his eyes; the man advanced to punch the beast. Red-clad hand curled into a fist and muscles prominent in his arm. His whole body shifted; the C-Class Hero only managed to see the shape of his jaw and his body transitioning to one that held capacity. Mumen Rider could only watch; mouth open slightly, as the fist stopped midair. If he had blinked, he would've missed the pressurized air pushing past the clenched hand.

It moved unnaturally, pushing through the beast's torso in a spray of intestines, shattered spine and blue blood. Gone was the beast ready to tear into City-J, the force of the punch had only left the lower body of the mysterious being. The sound of flying chunks hitting the water broke the hero out of his stupor. Broken skin and bones landed on the ocean; obscenely floating on the rising waves. Blue, wet blood sprayed the white sand, painting a grotesque picture behind the defeated monster.

Mumen Rider felt wet. Liquid dripped from his helmet and glasses; trailing over his cheeks and chin. The taste left in his mouth was strange, almost like ink. It took a moment longer, but the C-Class Hero was finally able to make his tongue move. "Wait!" He called out; unaware of the sight he made, only wanting to stop the man in front of him. The bald hero turned; face set into one of indifference, head perfectly round; almost like an egg.

He had an almost perfectly slim frame. Mumen Rider nearly froze once more, mind reeling as he briefly wondered if this was the same man from a second ago. But the hero had seen it with his own eyes; the sight would've been unbelievable otherwise. But with it right in front of him; happening so fast he would've missed it if he had closed his eyes, he couldn't see how else it could have happened. "Who are you?" Mumen Rider asked, his mouth moving stiffly as his mind tried to make sense of what he had just seen.

* * *

The bald hero blinked at the man in front of him, surprise flickering in his eyes as he heard the person speak. "I'm Saitama." He said, tone steady and emotionless but not quite flat. The C-Class wanted to go home, he had cold things in the bag of groceries at his feet. But he didn't move, watching the man in front of him with an intensity not seen from him in a long time. There was something familiar about this person.

Underneath the ink-like blood, the person made Saitama remember something briefly. But it had disappeared so quickly, he couldn't draw it to the forefront of his mind. The C-Class hero was broken out of his musings when the man spoke. "Thank you, Saitama." He said gratefully; the smile gracing his lips made for a strange sight in this moment. Saitama shook his head, waving his hand in a dismissive manner.

"You don't need to thank me; it's my job." Saitama stooped and grabbed his bag. "Are you okay man?" He asked, eyebrows furrowing slightly. Mumen Rider shook his head; forcing his thoughts away. "I'm good." He said, smiling slightly at the hero. "Thank you again." He said, inclining his head toward Saitama.

"I must be going." Mumen Rider waved before turning around; jogging to his bike. Saitama shook his head slightly, eyes following the man for a moment before he started walking. _Why does he seem familiar?_ He questioned himself; scratching his ear slightly as he walked. The C-Class, Rank two hero ignored people's angry looks and shouting. _Ah well, at least he was nice._ Saitama thought, a slight smile pushing at his lips as he turned to go home.

* * *

It had been three days since the incident in City-J. Three days since Mumen Rider had seen the bald hero who defeated the beast with one punch. When the C-Class hero had gotten home; after showering and cleaning his helmet and armor, he had sat in front of his computer; the setting sun reflecting off the walls from the open window. A small bowl of ramen was held in his lap as he turned to the Hero Association website. He wanted to get as much information as he could.

Mumen Rider had spent hours scouring the information from the website. There was next to nothing on the hero named Saitama. What little information there was only served to anger the Hero for Justice and confuse him. On one side of the spectrum; people hated him. They called him a cheat and liar and wondered that he wasn't fit to be a hero.

On the other end, he was shown to lure people in. So far it has shown to be good; having connections with S-Class heroes. He was seen with Genos, Child Emperor, Zombieman and had gotten Genos, Silver Fang and Metal Knight to work together. Which probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him. He had even been seen with the A-Class, Rank one hero; Amai Mask.

Mumen Rider had been shocked, never realizing that one man could have such an effect on others like this. But, after reflecting on what little the hero had known of Saitama back in school; it made sense. He hadn't been very social, or popular for that matter. But whenever Mumen Rider had seen the other; it was always in moments of bravery and selflessness. He had been singled out by the teacher, just because of something that had happened three days into the school year.

He had been cornered by the upperclassmen who had destroyed others – and their own – school uniform. He had always been beaten badly; physically and verbally when he had stood up for others. But he never stopped, it made Mumen Rider feel some sort of kinship with the man. Mumen Rider idly ate his food; thinking about his fellow hero and old classmate. The hero was broken from his thoughts when an urgent news report had come on the tv.

* * *

" _Several monsters, much like the one that had risen from the sea the other day have appeared in City-J and have begun to attack citizens."_ The news lady was saying; brown hair tied in a bun and matching eyes steady on the camera in front of her; her mouth was set in a grim line. Behind the woman was broken concrete; a destroyed car, and a bent out of shape lamppost. What little of the sky could be seen was dark and grey; thick rolling clouds casting the street below in shadows. Mumen Rider jumped up from his computer; ramen spilling from the bowl as it toppled out of his lap. In the hero's haste of putting on his uniform, he couldn't bring himself to care as the shatter of ceramic echoed in the apartment.

Having clicked his helmet into place and pulled on his shoes; the hero ran out the door, leaving before the woman could report the threat as level Tiger. Living in City-Z, the way to City-J was a long one. But the hero didn't let that deter him as he climbed onto his bike and began pedaling. Having become used to the exertion he would put into this mode of travel; the young man didn't start showing signs of tiredness until City-Q. It had taken nearly four hours to come this far; and the road beneath him had become harder to see, the clouds so thick and the sun beginning to set behind him made for very little light to see by.

Panting softly as he moved through the city, he pushed himself to stand from the seat; letting himself put more force and speed into the pedaling. The time spent working like this would be brief, but it allowed him to move faster. Which was just what he wanted to do. He managed to pedal like that for forty minutes; making himself ignore his shaking arms and cramping legs. Finally, the man had sat back down; the speed with which his legs moved dialing back noticeably but not drastically.

Another hour passed until he had come between the borders of City-J and City-K. The traffic had been so backed up that it was stopped entirely; the air being pierced by a near endless stream of honking and shouting. Mumen Rider was forced to slow down; but he still managed to worm his way through. He had stopped briefly when he had seen a gaggle of heroes in a truck; at least four of them sitting in the bed. They had told him that the threat level had been raised from tiger to demon; the hero's mouth had shaped itself into a determined line before he thanked them, pedaling away and ignoring the shouts from the others.

Mumen Rider had never been terribly strong. He was a bit higher than average, as far as strength went. But he wasn't powerful enough to rise in the ranks; which was why he stayed in C-Class. Despite his ranking and limited power; the man never let a threat stop him from protecting people. Even those far above his level.

He hasn't let these things discourage him before, and he wasn't going to now. The man began to pedal faster; ignoring the rain as it fell in buckets. He was soaked to the bone with minutes, and he had begun to shake from the cold. But he didn't slow down. Panting again, the man stopped at a red light.

His breath came out in little huffs; the difference between his body temperature and the air around him showed visibly with every exhale. The man rested for a minute, muscles twinging and tensing as they stopped working suddenly. His butt ached even with the padding in his uniform. His arms shook from the strain of holding them in one position so long. He shook his head; ignoring the protest his muscles gave as he moved to pedal again.

Before he could start, he heard footsteps and a recognizable voice. _"Where did he run off to?"_ The voice could just be heard over the sound of the rain. Mumen looked for the source of it, looking to the right; he couldn't help but smile. A familiar hero was walking in his direction, dull-looking eyes searching for someone. "Saitama!" The man called; raising a hand up in the air even as the muscles in his shoulders ached from the effort.

* * *

The hero looked around confused; first he was looking for Genos, their phones having lost range of each other. But that wasn't his disciple's voice. Saitama looked around for a moment. "Oh." Saitama said; finding the man he had met three days before on his bike a few feet away from him. "Hey man." He said, moving closer to the person.

"Are you looking for someone too?" Saitama asked; eyebrows furrowing slightly as he tried to think of why the guy could be here. The man nodded; "Yeah." He said, reaching up to wipe away some of the water. "I'm here to defend people." He said; not in a way to boast, just stated as a fact. The bald hero nodded in understanding. "There were crashes that way." Saitama said, pointing over his shoulder in the direction he had just come from.

Mumen Rider smiled; nodding slightly in thanks. "Do you need a ride?" He offered, stretching his left leg to the ground as he stood from the bike. Saitama hummed a little before nodding. "Sure." He said; stepping closer to the man. The hero smiled at the other again; waiting for him to get settled on the rear pegs.

They traveled in companionable silence for a few minutes before Mumen Rider broke it. "Do you remember me, Saitama?" He asked, unable to keep himself from wondering aloud. The bald hero hummed again before shaking his head. "No, not, really should I?" He asked, tilting his head sideways. Mumen Rider was surprised, but not offended by the answer.

"Well, you had saved me from that beast a few days ago; but we had gone to the same middle school together." He said, sweat beading over his forehead as he pedaled; now having to put more effort with the extra weight. "Did we?" Saitama asked curiously; bright brown eyes looking over the other man intensely. It had taken a few moments; but he finally managed to see the connections. "I remember you now." He said; squeezing the man's shoulders gently. "You were known as the _Name-less Bicycle Commuter,_ weren't you?" Saitama asked, now able to see the man as the kid dressed in the school uniform; white helmet instead of green with a bike much like this, albeit smaller.

Mumen Rider nodded; a bright smile gracing his lips. "Yeah. I'm glad you remembered." He couldn't help but feel happiness when Saitama had made the same links he did. "What's your name again?" The bald hero asked; mouth set downward slightly as he tried to remember. "Eiyuu." Mumen Rider informed him; pushing himself to a standing position as he pedaled uphill. "Can I address you by your name?" Saitama asked; not wanting to be rude by assuming he could but he found himself hoping that the man would agree.

"Yeah." The hero said; smiling as contentment settled over his chest. "Should I walk?" He asked Eiyuu, frowning as he realized the guy was panting from the effort. "N-no, I can handle it." He said breathlessly; the man was happy that Saitama had called him by his name. Very few people did anymore. Often, he was addressed by his hero name or one of his aliases. It was a pleasant change.

The next twenty minutes were spent talking about the ridiculous notion of rating; and how being a hero shouldn't be ranked by popularity or things alike it. Unknown to the other; both had felt pleased that they had found someone of a similar mindset. Too many cared about rising in ranks or being seen and gaining high esteem. _"Are you scared?"_ Eiyuu asked, voice quiet and steady. Solemnity set over his shoulders like a heavy weight.

* * *

Saitama stayed silent; debating on whether to lie and say he was or to be honest. In the end, he decided to be honest; it'll help in the long run. "I'm not." He said; his voice was unwavering in the simple answer. Eiyuu could feel his spirits lift; he was still scared, but now he was filled with determination and encouragement again. "Thanks." Mumen Rider said; turning his head slightly so he could smile back at Saitama.

The bald hero gave a small smile of his own before shouting; breaking the man out from his thoughts. They had almost crashed into a semi-truck. After the scare; Mumen Rider stopped for a moment, he needed to catch his breath. Saitama stood next to him; eyes turned up to the sky; his shoulders were damp and his cape looked grey from the rain. Saitama registered a flash three feet away from the pair.

Before Saitama could tell the other hero; his phone began to ring. "Hello." Eiyuu answered, after digging the device out from his pocket. Saitama's keen ears could pick up bits of the conversation on the other end; though the rain made everything a little muffled. Mumen Rider hummed faintly; nodding to himself. After a minute the man shut his phone with a snap; mouth set in an angry line.

"Stupid Hero Association." Mumen Rider couldn't help but mutter to himself; so awash with irritation that he hadn't realized he had spoken aloud. The man was broken from his angry thoughts when Saitama spoke up. "What was that about?" His face was set into one of indifference; the only thing showing his displeasure was his crossed arms and a slight downturn of his lips. Mumen Rider shook his head; trying to dispel the indignation he felt. After waiting a minute for Eiyuu to speak again; Saitama shrugged, he wasn't going to push the man if he didn't want to say anything.

Saitama looked over the man slowly, taking a second to make his decision. "I'm going to double back," the hero said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "there was someone running a bit ago, gonna see if I can find him." Saitama explained, holding up a glove-clad hand when he saw his friend open his mouth to argue. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up." The man said, letting his hand drop as the other hero nodded. "I'm going to check the shelter." Mumen Rider said, pointing into the distance; a large, dome-shaped building just visible beyond broken rubble.

Saitama nodded in understanding before his figure seemed to flash; a sound like rolling thunder following the man's wake. He wasn't there anymore. Eiyuu shook his head minutely; letting his mind sink into thoughts of the mystery his old-time friend had become. Mumen Rider stood up on his bike again; letting his legs pump faster as he moved to get to the shelter; he wouldn't make the civilians wait any longer. Even if he was only a distraction, the honorable hero couldn't stand by and do nothing.

It had taken ten minutes to get to the building. The hero looked over the scene slowly; the strewn bodies of his fellows made bile rise in his throat. Despite the queasiness the man felt, he could feel rage bubbling in his stomach. With an undistinguished yell the tilted the bike dangerously; letting the cycle be propelled out from under him. The force of the turn and the speed with which he had used to come here pushed the bike into the air; hitting the beast with a nasty – but undamaging – crunch.

Mumen Rider stood; limbs trembling with effort. His feet were numb with rapidly-changing blood flow and fear. His arms quivered in pain as he lifted them up. His fists were clenched tightly, and his stance was wide; regardless of the fatigue and dread shown on the hero's face. The determination and unwavering honor standing in the face of the tall and imposing beast made for an encouraging picture.

Civilians began to feel hope again; even as they murmured amongst themselves. Some seeds of doubt within their minds, this man; honorable as he may be was only a C-Class. _What could he do?_ Was the collective thought, each person remembering the broken, beaten and bruised bodies of various class heroes. Even the S-Class heroes Puri-Puri Prisoner and Genos had been unable to do more than distract the beast. The mysterious being tilted its head, large fins flaring slightly as it looked at the new person.

The monster was very tall, standing near twenty meters; muscles bulging and despite the aquamarine-color of the beast with red hearts in place of its nipples; the giant still made for an imposing sight. It's large mouth; which hid behind the lips, long elongated teeth. Paired with its large, beady eyes distorted the humanoid creature. What seemed most odd about the beast was the large, fitted and regal – though it was soaked – cape, and the even larger, golden crown sitting atop its head. The beast was the pinnacle of its brethren.

The silent moment was shattered when the mysterious being reached out; grabbing a hold of Mumen Rider like a girl would her doll. The beast growled and began to throw the hero; letting his body hit the wet ground repeatedly. Each blow tore a little more of his uniform and rattled his bones; but when the monster flung him aside, the hero refused to stay down. Standing on unsteady feet; Mumen Rider yelled, running forward and moving to tackle the brute. Though, from a civilian's perspective, and the sheer difference in size; it was more like a child hugging their parent.

No one could hear the determined hero; but each of them felt a sense of anticipation building. The beast roared; the very force of it shook the wind, causing the rain to distort from the expelled air. Each person was helpless to watch as Mumen Rider was grabbed, like a ragdoll and tossed up. None could close their eyes; morbidly enraptured with the twisting body, left arm, which had been bent to a funny angle curled into the body. The hero didn't scream; the speed of which he was tossed, and the suddenness of the bone snapping had passed quickly; his mind unable to comprehend what had happened.

Mumen Rider could only watch, defense as he rapidly approached the ground. His mind went blank for a second; waiting for the impact. But before it could connect, there was a flash of red and yellow and the last of the hero's air was knocked from him by the force. Vision swimming and mind becoming muddled; the hero could hear, very distantly a familiar voice. _"Nice fight."_ The hero heard; mind hazy with the effort to stay conscious.

He couldn't feel his body being lowered to the ground; but he knew that Saitama was crouching before him, steadying the hero. The fog and rain clouded his goggles; everything a sickening blur as his eyes watered and his vision wobbled. He could just make out the blob that was Saitama walking towards the beast; voice distant and indistinct. Ignoring the throbbing pain going through every bit of his body, the hero smiled slightly. The last thing he could see was the spray of broken skin and blue blood, the last thing he could hear was the whoosh of distilled air being forced into a certain direction.

He could feel the change in air pressure; the rain stopped falling above him. The change so sudden that his body wasn't allowed to adjust; the shock of it forcing the man to lose consciousness. _Thank you, Saitama._ He thought before everything went black.

* * *

Eiyuu woke with a jerk, so sudden and unexpected that his arm was pulled; the IV taped into place lurching under his skin. For a moment, the man felt nausea crash through him like a wave. He wanted to throw up. Groaning quietly, the man forced himself to lay still; his unanticipated movement caused his senses to become overwhelmed. His nose burned with the sudden intake of air when he had woken, his body aching with pain; each bruise felt fresh and new.

Sound seemed to explode within his ears momentarily, low voices and steady beeping made his brain pulse with pain. His eyes burned and the agony behind them was so intense that everything seemed to sway; even with his eyes closed. It was like he was riding a turbulent upsurge. It made the nausea in his stomach swell. Sweat beaded his forehead; his body quickly overheating with the sudden awareness.

Eiyuu realized that he was shaking; mouth firmly shut to keep from being sick. A warm – but not overheated – hand clasped the man's shoulder. Making his eyes snap open in surprise. The hand squeezed his shoulder gently before he could feel his glasses being pressed into place. The light became brighter; but the man appreciated that everything had become sharper.

"Hey, man." A voice sounded from his right; hand steady on his shoulder, keeping the man from jerking in surprise. It took a moment for his pulse to slow down, but the man opened his eyes a little. Saitama was sitting next to his bed; face plain and smooth. He was wearing a bright yellow 'Oppai' shirt – complete with picture – and tan cargo shorts. Mumen Rider looked over the man next to him; mind sluggish and tired.

Just as suddenly as he had woken up, everything had come flooding back to the hero. "Are you okay?" He asked, unaware of the slight hysterical note his voice had taken as he tried to sit up. Everything was hazy, but Mumen Rider could only remember Saitama approaching the beast. Saitama looked at him, face transitioned into one of seriousness as his eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah dude, I'm fine." He said, voice flat but holding a note of confusion in it.

"You're the one waking up in a hospital." Saitama pointed out when he saw Eiyuu open his mouth. "By the way, I got these for you." He said; holding up a grocery bag. Eiyuu let his mouth close, smiling to Saitama in appreciation as he took the offered gift. He felt some confusion wash over him, but there was no disappointment. Using the that wasn't broken, the hero pulled out the bunch of ripe bananas.

He didn't question the gift choice, too hungry to care as he broke one off; peeling it and biting into it before offering one to Saitama. The man shook his head; a decreasingly rare, small smile gracing his lips. "Now that you're awake," Saitama said, breaking the hungry man's concentration. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out to eat later; after you're out of here." Mumen Rider looked at Saitama questioningly, tilting his head just slightly. "Well, you've been in here for four days." Saitama said, waving around the room before continuing.

"Genos thought you'd like to get out, walk around a bit." Saitama shook his head slightly, smiling a little as he thought of the cyborg. "I would also like if you'd tag along to celebrate." The bald hero rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Seeing Eiyuu's confused look, Saitama pulled out a sheaf of paper; handing it to the hero.

On the paper were a few lines; simply stating that Saitama was now ranked as a B-Class; bottom of the class to be exact. But moved up none-the-less. Eiyuu smiled happily; ignoring the twinge of pain he felt as he did. "Sure, I'll go." He said, voice scratchy and rough from lack of use. Saitama beamed slightly; an occasional moment of real emotion showing.

"Thanks, dude." He said, patting the man's shoulder before they sank into comfortable conversation. An hour passed quickly, the exchange only being broken when a doctor had come in to check his vitals. Another hour passing before Eiyuu had been given the okay to leave. His whole body pulsated with pain; right arm held in a sling, bruises littered most if not all his slim frame. Despite the pain and aches the C-Class hero felt, this was the best he had felt in a long time.

Saitama walked a sedate pace, staying close to his friend in case his legs gave out from under him. Playful banter passed between them with ease as they left the hospital. There were a few scares when Eiyuu had needed to stop, letting a wave of vertigo pass before they continued. Twice more they had to stop, the bruised hero needing a moment to sit before he had been able to keep walking.

* * *

Later that night, Saitama sat with Genos, Eiyuu, Bang and Jun. The C-Class hero had been surprised to see such high-ranking heroes conversing so easily together. But what shocked him more was how each of them had effortlessly extended the discussion to him. It had been nerve-wracking at first, but the man had been able to relax and talk with them like he would any other person.

A few times, Eiyuu couldn't help but look over to Saitama. While the man wasn't an open book, the hero could see the contentment radiating from the bald hero. It was easy to see why people had attached themselves to this man. He just had the kind of ambience that drew them in. _I hope I can be a part of it too."_ Mumen thought to himself; a small smile on his lips as he listened to those around him.

* * *

Four days after the Deep-Sea Incident, Metal Bat and his sister had been able to go home. In their small apartment in City-F, Metal Bat had sat himself on the couch. His sister; Zenko, was eating macaroni and cheese at the table behind him. Their cat, Tama laid down on the other side of the couch. The teen was sitting; newspaper in hand as he tried to read about the monsters from his time in the hospital.

He had spent an hour doing this; grimacing as he read about the purple mysterious being which had put him in the place. Then felt immense relief as he read about the giant mysterious being stopped that same day. Eventually he had gotten to the most recent attack. The hero had been reading about the heroes taken out; making a note to look more into his new S-Class worker, before something had caught his attention.

The picture was grainy and the detail near impossible to see, and it was in black and white; but Metal Bat could swear that this was the man who had saved him and Zenko. He wasn't sure if it was because of the picture itself, or because of a familiarity he felt when looking at the man. The teen was curved over the newspaper; it resting in his lap and nose nearly pressed into the freshly-printed paper. His eyes ached from the strain of looking for such tiny details from an unclear picture and there was a slight burn as he didn't blink. His back ached as it had been put into one position for so long, but the young hero didn't move from his position.

He spent five more minutes intensely studying the picture before he had read over what was said about the man. There were disparaging remarks made from civilians and heroes alike. But there were also kind words said by others. Few civilians thanked the man; most believing him to be a cheat. But what had held Metal Bat's attention was who had commented kindly about him.

The list seemed short; but everyone in it seemed to hold his own bit of power within their standing. Genos, who was an uprising S-Class, Child Emperor; the young genius. Bang, the elderly master of his art, Amai Mask; ever-popular and handsome A-Class, Rank one hero. Zombieman, a solemn hero who was usually not social with others. Mumen Rider; a high-ranking and highly respected C-Class and even Metal Knight.

Metal Bat could feel his curiosity swell as he read each name. Eyes widening and respect building as his mind made note of each one. This man, this one person; had gained favor with each of these heroes. Metal Bat's dark eyes squinted slightly; mind whirring with information as he studied the picture again. The man's only thought was; _"Just who are you, Saitama?"_

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's Note: Hey guys, first off; I'd like to apologize for the later update. I wanted to get back onto the schedule I had first gotten into (midnight or at least close to, daily updates) but it had gotten out of hand when my sleep schedule had shifted a bit.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was a little difficult for me to write, but I hope I did a well enough job on it. I did have fun with it, but I had more to make up with on as I went along than what I had planned with. My mind does that to me. That's why I try not to think too far ahead for it, I know it probably wouldn't be how I imagine it.**


	9. Meeting Saitama

*** This chapter may contain Manga/Webcomic spoilers. Proceed with caution.**

 *** I've had a difficult time writing this chapter, having to scrap the one I had originally started. But I hope it's still enjoyable.**

 *** Will contain moments of OOC. But that's why it's fanfiction.**

 *** This is a filler.**

* * *

"I want to go find him." Metal Bat was broken from his thoughts by his little sister's voice. The teen hummed a little, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he looked at the girl. "What, Zenko?" He asked, rubbing a hand over his face as he tried to focus on her. "The man who saved us." Zenko said, standing in front of her tired sibling. "You said he was the one who defeated that monster a week ago, right?" She continued, small hands set on her hips as she stared the older man down.

"That was just speculation, Zenko." He tried to argue. After coming home from the hospital; the young hero had searched endlessly for information on the man. "It may not even be the same man." Metal Bat was a young male, often said to be hot-headed and stubborn, but he was also prideful. While the guy wasn't above thanking someone, who saved him; a person who had come from seemingly nowhere and then disappearing for a time, only to crop up in the oddest way and leaving more questions than answers in his wake. It was difficult for the teen to believe. The male took one look at his sister and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

He adored his little sister; having raised her by himself since he was fourteen.

Zenko was hotheaded, and prideful and just as stubborn as he. She never condoned violence; and she had the young male wrapped around her finger. More than once has he had to grovel and go beyond any other measure to please her. While it had been annoying at first; the man never lost the smile he held just for her. After their bit of a hard past, he couldn't fathom not seeing her happy and doing whatever she wanted.

She never let the fact that he spoiled her go to her head either. She was humble and sweet too. Never had he heard her boast about his hero status to her friends at school. She always practiced hard to succeed in whatever she wanted to do, and it made the teen proud. But while she wouldn't throw tantrums just because she didn't get what she wanted; the kid knew exactly what to do to get her brother to do her bidding.

She could play him like a fiddle, using only a certain kind of expression and some sweet words and he followed her instructions as she wished. The juvenile was broken out of his musings by her voice again. "I'd just like to thank him for saving my big brother," He heard faintly; her tone wavering just a little. "I don't know what would've happened if he didn't intervene." Her voice became quieter toward the end of her sentence, making the teenager's eyes snap open. Whatever resistance he could've had crumbled the instant their matching eyes met.

"Let's go." He sighed, shoving himself onto his feet. The man picked up his weapon and ruffled her hair affectionately. Zenko didn't say anything to this, she was so happy that he had agreed. They both knew he would've given in eventually, but it still pleased her. She couldn't keep the laugh from pushing past her lips when her brother huffed; the male having looked back to see what had been holding her up.

* * *

It had taken nearly two hours for the hero to get ahold of anyone who could have access to the hero. But after calling the Minister for Justice; Sitch and being patched through to Silver Fang he had done it. The conversation had been awkward at first, but after explaining what he had wanted to do; the elderly hero had agreed to introduce them once the pair reached City-Z. Two hours more and they were getting off the train at a nearly deserted station. Metal Bat's hand tightened around his weapon, the other firmly holding onto his sister's hand as he looked around cautiously.

"Metal Bat," His name was called, causing the teen's body to tense and move to stand in front of Zenko. Silver Fang, S-Class hero, rank three stepped towards the pair; grey eyes lit with understanding as he approached them. The young male didn't let his body relax until he was sure there was no threat around them. "Silver Fang." He greeted the elder respectfully, bowing his head slightly as the man stopped in front of him. Dark eyes widened in surprise as the senior merely chuckled.

"No need for formalities. Call me Bang." The man said, waving his hand dismissively. The younger male's eyebrow raised a little. He had never taken the man to be as easygoing as he seemed now. "Bang," he allowed, ignoring the oddity of it; the name felt strange on his tongue. "Thank you for agreeing to help us." He said sincerely, Zenko clutched his forearm as she peeked behind his body.

"Thank you." She chirped, voice high and filled with veracity as well. His fellow looked down to her, his smile widening as he bowed slightly; the simple change in expression seemed to take some few years off the male. "It's my pleasure." He said before standing again; the male's body was stooped, and he shuffled away from them slowly, but Metal Bat knew that he was still powerful. "I've already called ahead, and Saitama is expecting us." Hearing the man say the other's name made Metal Bat jerk his head up in surprise; the situation now seemed surreal, being so close to seeing the man for himself. The sudden feeling made the teen want to grab his sister and board the train again, but she had already stepped around him and had begun walking with the elder.

She was chattering to the hero, completely at ease as she switched from asking him about his work as a hero and questions about the man they were going to meet. Seeing the girl so happy and radiating excitement caused the man's jittery emotions to ebb. Smiling to himself for a moment, the teen stepped into line behind them; his weapon resting on his right shoulder as he walked. Zenko's cheerful prattle drifting back towards him. His lips twitched as he could hear the elder laughing and answering every question he could.

* * *

The walk had been a long one. More than once the teen had felt the elder had become lost; but even as they had stepped into the abandoned district of the city, Bang assured him that he hadn't. Metal Bat could feel his body swing from being tense to feeling unease. It was like a pendulum; or his own swings rather. The feeling had become stronger with every minute that passed.

The teen felt like he was at his wit's end when they had finally approached a beaten and run-down apartment building. "Are you sure this is the right place?" Metal Bat couldn't keep the question to himself, even as he watched Bang knock on the door. The man simply gave him an indulgent smile before the door swung open. "Oh, hey dude." A flat, emotionless voice sounded from the frame. "Hello Saitama." Bang said respectfully, a wide smile on his lips as he waved a wizened hand in greeting.

"Come in." Saitama said, moving out of the way and gesturing for the trio to step in. The bald hero had been surprised when Bang had called on his new phone – a gift from Bofoi, he later found out – the elderly man asking if he could stop by today and if it'd be alright to bring two guests. He thought it a little odd at first but had agreed easily enough. "Are these the ones?" The hero asked, eyeing the male and young girl following his friend. The girl was dressed in a pink shirt and white cardigan, black hair short and pinned back with matching floral clips.

The male was older by a few years; younger than Genos. His black hair was styled in a pompadour, and he was wearing bontan pants as dark as his eyes and a matching gakuran which he wore over a dark red turtleneck sweater. Over his shoulder; gripped tightly in his hand was a gleaming, silver metal bat. Something wiggled in the back of his mind; the pair seemed familiar, but he couldn't recall where. "Yes," Bang's voice broke through Saitama's thoughts, causing the man to blink as he focused on the elder.

"This is Metal Bat, a fellow S-Class Hero." He introduced, gesturing to the male. Saitama raised an eyebrow _; if that is his hero name, they didn't try too hard._ The bald man thought to himself, a tiny, amused smirk gracing his lips before slipping away. "I'm Zenko." The girl spoke up, stepping up to Saitama. He was surprised to see her dark eyes wide and lit up with happiness.

* * *

"It's nice to meet you." He said, crouching before the girl. He didn't say anything after that; eyes intense and focused as he wracked his brain. The girl didn't react or show any discomfort from the scrutiny of his gaze. Saitama could basically feel the very air around the male as he squirmed. He showed no such restraint that she did.

Saitama was enduring, his legs steady as they bore his weight. Seconds stretched into minutes, and still he could feel none of the aches or throbs from remaining in one position for so long. "Thank you for saving us." Zenko decided to break the uncomfortable silence that had covered the room. From the short distance between them, it was clear to see the man's brown eyes widen, understanding filling the dark-colored orbs. "You were the girl?" He breathed, a wide, content smile changed his face entirely.

Like one made Bang look younger, this smile drained away the indifference he had shown, his very muscles seemed to relax with the change. Zenko nodded slightly, her eyebrows furrowing a little in confusion. "You don't remember?" She asked, ignoring the way her brother had stepped closer to them. Saitama shook his head simply, a small frown marring his face again. "I didn't." He said, looking over the pair of them again.

"How didn't you remember?" Metal Bat asked finally, eyebrows creased downwards. Brief flashes of the time before he had been hospitalized sped through his mind. "You're one of the few people who have thanked me." Saitama said, having decided to be honest. His tone steady and so firm that any doubt Metal Bat had felt had gone out of the window. The moment was short but just for a second there was sadness flickering in the man's eyes.

An uncomfortable silence slowly built again before being shattered. Zenko threw her arm around the unsuspecting hero. "Thank you." She said again, voice muffled as she pressed her face into his shoulder. Saitama didn't move, too surprised to do anything but stare blankly over the girl's shoulder. Her hair was tickling his nose, but Saitama still didn't move. Her head moved a little, letting the dark strands move against his skin.

"You're welcome." Saitama finally managed to say, as the girl was pulling away. His chest felt warm, a weight lifting from his shoulders that the hero never realized he was carrying. No matter how many times he insisted he didn't need appreciation. He felt a wave of giddiness sweep through him all the same. The moment was broken when the door opened unexpectedly.

"Saitama," A man's voice called, low and rumbling in his chest. "I brought a new game." He continued, stepping into the room before freezing. Time seemed to stop for a moment; blue eyes darting between his bald friend, the young male, younger female and elder. His mouth moved, no sound coming out as his mind raced for something to say. "Hey King." Saitama greeted, pushing himself to his feet as he waved.

"What game is it?" He continued, not aware of the surprise and shock the others were experiencing, or he was uncaring for it. His friend's voice broke the frozen man from his stupor. "I can come back another time?" He questioned instead of answering, wide, vibrant eyes locked on Saitama. "No need," The hero replied, waving his hand dismissively. "You can stay." He said before turning towards the kitchen.

"Do you want drinks?" He called to the odd group; already going through the motions of making tea. The hero received no responses, his guests silenced with the other man's unanticipated appearance. "What are you doing here, King?" Saitama could hear Bang break the uncomfortable silence; his feet shuffling across the floor as he moved to sit. His keen hearing allowed the man to hear the exchange; every tense syllable and stiff word passing between them. He could hear Metal Bat asking his fellow S-Class how he had met Saitama.

King's voice had become a little steadier as they moved into familiar territory. "I had bumped into him when buying manga." King was saying; then explaining how the two heroes had clashed in the middle of the shop in City-M. Saitama let a small smile grace his lips; the muscles unaccustomed with the effort, even as it had become increasingly familiar to him again. The others had taken King's explanation at face-value. But while it was true, the pair of them knew that that wasn't all that had happened.

* * *

They had bumped into each other, and after the initial awkwardness of the situation; they found that they had hit it off fairly well. It was when they had been walking towards King's apartment building when things had become interesting. Screams pierced the air; an immense shadow had come over the city and the very ground beneath shook under their feet when the monster cawed. A massive crow was approaching the pair of them; gusts of wind billowing through the streets with each push of its wings. Everything had ended in an instant.

The man next to Saitama shouted; and turned to run. But before he could take more than two steps, Saitama had raised his hand; the moment beak met hand, the mysterious being halted. The force the two had met at killed the monster instantaneously. Low mumbling met the hero's ears, but the man didn't focus on that. Instead he had pushed against the beast; forcing its body back.

Saitama's impassive face contorted into one of disgust as he looked at his bloody palm. Black bits of a feather covered the sticky blood. Saitama looked around momentarily before he had found several napkins, the find allowing the man to clean his hand. The bald hero was broken from his task by quiet sobs. Saitama turned back to the male he had met an hour before.

His face was covered in tear tracks; eyes squeezed shut as his wet, trembling lips moved. Voice low and rough as he mumbled to himself. "You okay?" Saitama asked, causing the man's eyes to snap open. Bright blue eyes turned watery as tears swam in his eyes. "You're alive." The man had breathed, voice almost too quiet to be heard in normal circumstances.

Saitama opened his mouth to respond but closed it a moment later. He shrugged simply and bent to pick up his plastic bag. The manga tumbling from his hands when the beast had neared them. "Let's go." He said, voice flat but not mean. King didn't bring up his loss of face, so neither did Saitama.

* * *

Since that day, some time before; they had gone between their two cities, the other appearing with games or manga. Saitama forced himself from his thoughts as he brought the tea out to the group. King was sitting on the floor, volume low as he watched the screen. Bang was settled on the low couch, eyes shut as he listened to his surroundings. Zenko and Metal Bat were speaking to each other quietly, her eyes were filled with determination and the male's shoulders had slumped in defeat.

"My name's Bad." Metal Bat spoke up, dark eyes focused on Saitama as he sat on the floor next to the table. Saitama didn't question the sudden information. He knew the sense of honor exchanged when giving another your name. Instead, the bald man tilted his head with another smile. "Thank you." He said simply, the teen – Bad – nodded once; the action having been caught in the man's peripherals.

The day had sped by after that. Conversation flowing between the group with ease. It had almost been like they had known each other for years. It came naturally to each of them. Saitama had offered for them to stay for dinner; but each of them declined. One by one Saitama's guests had left.

First had been Bang, the old man stretching as he pulled himself from the couch. Each of them said goodbye before watching him go. A half hour after that, Bad and Zenko had left; the sun was beginning to come low in the sky by the time they had decided to leave. King had been the last to leave, air cool and sky dark, the man said goodbye to Saitama and waved briefly to Genos as they passed each other. The pair left went to eat dinner soon after then settled for the night.

Saitama had been left to stay awake for hours after the cyborg had shut down, his mind racing as he thought of the way his life had taken a turn. Instead of being a man on his own, acting as a hero for fun. He had joined the Association which he had never known existed before then. His mind filled with different interactions and distinct moments. Each occasion and each friend had been mapped out as the man fell asleep.

There was a faint smile on his lips as his breaths evened out.

* * *

The next day in City-A, Sitch; the Minister for Justice was pacing in his office. The man's shoulders were slumped and his hair appeared disheveled. He was quietly mumbling to himself, eyes blind to the people in front of him. Amai Mask, A-Class Rank one was looking at his phone; scrolling through the website's forums as he waited. The second presence, a small and petite woman - who was often mistook as a girl - was following the stressed man with her bright green eyes.

"Why did you call us here?" The woman snapped finally, a green bubble of energy darkening as she glared at the men. The A-Class simply rolled his eyes at her tone and switched from the internet to texting, still not saying anything. The other man had jumped, her voice having broken him from his quiet ramblings. "Miss Tornado, I apologize." Sitch started, voice quivering with slight fear as he looked at the powerful hero. "I do not mean to waste your time." He continued; the man bowed his head as the girl huffed in response.

"Just get on with it." She grumbled; green, curly hair rippling as her power pulsated around her frame. _She was never very patient._ Sitch thought to himself as he nodded. "I've called you here because I wanted to speak to both of you about a certain hero." He said, taking a deep breath to steady his voice. "Both of you are powerful heroes and well respected." The man said, looking over the two. "Who is it?" The hero; Tornado of Terror snapped again; her power had bled from a dark green to the normal hue, she was willing to listen at least.

"The B-Class; Rank 63, Saitama."

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters, the Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry about the wait. I hit a bit of a slow patch for a moment. Because of this, this chapter may be a little weird. But I decided to post it anyway. So, I've decided to try to go into a bit of an AU after finishing up the anime episodes. It will still reference Manga/Webcomic bits but I won't try to follow into that line since both are still ongoing.**

 **As for King's part; it's fairly close to the manga. Just added a bit of it and changed it from in the apartment to being outside. Genos wasn't needed for this; so I didn't include G4.**


	10. Meetings and the Psychic Sisters

*** This may contain references to the Webcomic/Manga. Proceed with caution.**

 *** Will contain definite signs of OOC. But it was needed.**

 *** The next few chapters may take a little longer. Only so I can try to avoid compiling two or even three episodes into one chapter.**

 *** There may be a third – hopefully short – filler after this, but I am not sure.**

 *** This story is meant to be fun, so the lack of details in action or the ease of which they slide into informalities or giving names when few others have the honor is deliberate.**

 *** Fairly long AU at the end.**

* * *

"You brought me here to talk about some B-Class?" The heroine snapped; bright, green eyes narrowed and piercing as she studied the man in front of her. "Why do you want to talk about Saitama?" Amai Mask asked at the same time, yellow-gold eyes torn away from his phone. The esper waved away the oddity of the fellow hero's words as she let her power pulse, lifting her into the air. "What's so vital about some low-ranking newbie, that you dare waste _my_ time?" She ranted; coming closer to the nervous, sweating worker with every word. "He's not important." She continued, not allowing Sitch to speak.

The petite hero opened her mouth, ready to keep talking over the shaking man but another voice cut her off. "Saitama is too, important." Amai Mask snapped at the her, mouth set in an angry frown as he stood on his feet, the simplicity of his words were almost childish. The surprising actions of the A-Class made the woman freeze, some of her anger sapping away as her mind puzzled over the reaction. "What makes you say that?" She finally asked, forcing her words to remain steady and calm; eyebrows furrowed as she looked over the male. She would be hard-pressed to admit to anyone that she was becoming a little curious.

The only times that the A-Class had gotten riled up like he just was, were in moments that he felt the Hero Association or the heroes themselves weren't representing justice the way he thought it should've been. The fact that the younger male felt so strongly about this random hero was bizarre. The two contending personalities caused the heroes to fall silent. Both were broken out of their intense perusal by a stammering voice behind them. "M-Miss Tornado," Sitch started, hand shaking as he used a handkerchief to dab at the sweat coating his forehead.

"Mr. Saitama had shattered every physical record previously held in the Hero Association." The nervous man said, holding out a file towards her. The hero, Tornado of Terror let an eyebrow lift as she took the offered documents. Minutes were spent fraught in strained silence. Finally, she sniffed in disdain and threw the portfolio onto the desk. "That isn't important enough to need my presence." She said; being sure to keep her voice steady and filled with contempt.

Despite her unpleasant words, the woman's mind was racing at the knowledge it had just received. She was very shocked; and she couldn't believe it at first. But after reading the file for herself, some part of her was forced to accept this fact. That seemingly insignificant man had shattered records long-held by her fellow S-Class heroes; Tank-Top Master, Superalloy Darkshine, and Puri Puri Prisoner. They were three of the physically strongest heroes in the entire association.

The heroine didn't know which was more unnerving, the fact that the records were all broken by one man; or that this man had gone unnoticed by the Association for so long. They were supposed to be looking for this kind of thing. The woman was forced out of her silent musings by Amai Mask's words. "I was going to visit him later today." The handsome hero was saying to the Minister. "He's agreed to let me stop by after this meeting." The man waved his phone as he spoke.

"You're going to use this opportunity to ask of what he's done before he became aware of the Hero Association, aren't you?" Sitch assumed, his voice light and happy at the idea. But the female hero could see that that wasn't what the man had meant. His hesitation had gone unnoticed by the figurehead, but she could see right through it. "May I accompany you?" Tornado of Terror asked; bright green eyes meeting yellow-gold once more. She watched Amai Mask narrow his eyes, he knew that she had seen through his ruse.

The moment had passed quickly; the look of disdain wiping away from the man's face. A wide, pleased smile took its place as he clapped his hands once. "Of course, that's a great idea." The model said; surprising the minister between the powerhouse figures. "Shall we get going?" He continued, turning around and walking towards the door as the grey-haired man spluttered. "Thank you for your time Minister." The heroine said; voice sweet and alluring as she inclined her head respectfully.

The woman flew after the A-Class hero quickly; leaving the civilian to fall into his chair with a wheeze. "I'm going to regret this." The man groaned into the empty room; voice muffled and low as he held his face in his hands.

* * *

"What is your real reason to visit this man?" Tornado of Terror asked her fellow hero. Her voice was steady, but held just a hint of curiosity in it. After leaving the Minister of Justice in a daze, the pair had taken the model's car and had driven to City-Z. The silence in the car had been tense and heated with a bit of hatred. Neither hero really got along with the other; but unlike lower or weaker heroes, they managed some civility.

The woman could see the man's hands clench against the steering wheel; eyes staring out the window and unwavering from the road. A minute had passed before the man decided to answer. "He's my friend." The man said, a small smirk rising as the woman froze. The simplicity and honesty of his answer had surprised the heroine. Her small mouth had popped open for a moment; but she had schooled her expression into one of indifference.

"How did that happen?" She asked, interest leaking into her tone even as her face showed none of the emotion. Amai Mask sighed to himself before he started to speak. The majority of the drive had been spent explaining of the man's different masks; the one he showed the public, the one that hid his ruthlessness and even the one that Saitama had brought out of him. The heroine could only listen in silence as the man spoke, words tumbling from his lips; it even seemed like a weight was lifting from his chest. The woman was broken from her scrutiny when the man directed a question to her.

"Why did you want to come along?" He asked; his tone didn't hold any accusations; just curiosity like her own had. The man's expression didn't show any outwardly sign of embarrassment or regret. Instead there was a new light in his eyes. She started speaking before she had even realized it; compelled to be honest like he was. "He broke every record." She stated, not letting her eyes meet the questioning gaze she felt directed at her.

"I've seen reports of his deeds in the news and in the papers." She continued, voice quiet as she looked out the window. "People talk trash about him for everything's he's done so far. But he doesn't react to it. It's like it doesn't affect him." Her words came out softly now; barely discernible above even the quiet engine. "He seems humble and like a good person." The heroine could hear the words she spoke; but some part of her, detached from the rest found it difficult to believe what she said. "He has all of this power, yet he doesn't boast about it." She continued, only half aware of mixing, confused emotions inside of her. "He's even gotten you to change." Her words came out on a laugh, her small hand gesturing to the male next to her.

"It doesn't seem real. I want to see what he's like." She finally finished, her words falling into silence. They seemed to echo as a weight settled over the pair. Neither spoke again for the rest of the trip, or as they climbed out of the car. The heroine was so lost in her thoughts that she never even realized where they had stopped. She wasn't aware that she had subconsciously followed the actor.

The man knocked on the door, the only sound managing to break the tranquility that had washed over the heroes. Tornado of Terror floating behind him; eyebrows furrowed as she took in her surroundings. The door swung open, making her focus on the man who stood in the frame. In spite of the reports she had seen of him, and the pictures put into the paper; the person she saw was still not who she had expected. It was the same man, same lackadaisical look on his face, the same egg-like shape to his head.

But it was different too. Now that she was in front of him; it was like she couldn't breath for a moment. The energy emanating from his very being seemed to weigh her down. Her head swam with the sudden influx of power she felt. Her vision was hazy and the words exchanged between them was muffled.

* * *

"You okay?" Saitama asked, stepping closer to the small woman. Brown eyes focused and filled with worry as he looked over her petite frame. She was pale and her eyes were unfocused. The only thing that had kept her upright was the green bubble surrounding her body. It seemed to move with her will; the tint lightening from the shade it was a moment before.

The heroine could feel herself sway for a moment; vision dulling as her head pounded, the last thing she had seen were shining brown eyes before she fell unconscious. Saitama reacted without a thought, he took a step forward; arms blurring as they caught the woman as the energy around her dissipated. Once he had her cradled in his arms; Saitama turned back into his apartment, kicking the door shut quietly behind him. "Jun, do you know what happened?" He asked the model as he stepped into the small space. Out of the corner of his eye, the hero shook his head; confusion the only emotion that could be read from his face.

The man sighed to himself before turning to the other two bodies in his tiny apartment. "Genos, Sei, how about you guys?" The cyborg and child genius shook their heads in sync; yellow and hazel eyes wide with shock. The bald hero groaned in frustration, pressing his hand into his face for a moment. Saitama turned away from his guests, laying the woman down on the hastily made futon before he turned to them again. "Can any of you tell me who she is?" The frustrated man asked the room.

Genos and Jun spoke up at the same time. "She's the S-Class Hero; rank two, Tornado of Terror." Both said; Genos ending his sentence with 'Sensei' and Jun with 'Saitama.' The man opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Child Emperor. "I could only guess…" the young hero started; face oddly lit up by the screen in front of him; words slightly jumbled by the lollipop he held between his teeth. "But it looks like she had been overwhelmed." The boy looked to Saitama for a moment before looking back to his screen.

"We can contact her sister; and see if she'll know?" Sei asked. Saitama looked over to the woman on the futon before nodding his head. "Call her." He said, hand rubbing his bald head before he turned into the kitchen. Amai Mask had called the other woman and spoke in a low voice for a few minutes. "She'll be here in an hour." The man informed Saitama, accepting the tea his friend had handed to him.

"Good." Saitama nodded, his expression was between his normal, indifferent one and the serious one he had worn when the heroine had passed out. "What was the meeting about?" He asked, turning to the A-Class hero. Amai Mask had told him that he had been called to a conference; but hadn't been able to specify at the time. The man could feel tense muscles relax as he listened and drank the tea in his hands. He had been more affected by the unexpected appearance of the woman and her sudden lack of consciousness than he had felt earlier.

After the shock of seeing her limp body, each of them had eased into conversation again. None of them pointing out to the other when one would glance over at the heroine. Time seemed to inch along, but the conversation paused again as a knock broke through the apartment. "I'll get it, Sensei." Genos said, moving towards the door before Saitama. The man waved and took a long drink of the now cold tea.

* * *

"Is my sister okay?" A cool, feminine voice swept into the apartment; followed by a robust woman wearing a dark green ankle-length dress; a white fur coat draped over her shoulders and high heeled boots. Saitama noticed that the dress matched the shade of her bob-cut hair. Her eyes were the same shade as her sister's – as brief as the sight had been – but the similarities between them ended there. This woman had a curvaceous figure and she seemed to hold herself in high-esteem. But Saitama could sense, under all of that; the inferiority she felt when she looked to her sibling.

The other woman had a petite yet feminine figure, the dress showing off her thighs and a bit of her hips, and her breasts were small. Her hair was light green and extremely curly. Unlike her sister; the woman felt superior. "How did this happen?" The woman's voice asked; breaking Saitama from his observations. "I opened the door to let them in." He started; not entirely aware that he had started speaking.

"But before I knew it, she had passed out." Saitama finished, the explanation sounded lame, even to his ears; but he didn't know what else to say. It had all happened suddenly. The woman eyed him with scrutiny before she stepped closer; only Saitama's keen perception caught the surprise that flickered across her features as she saw the people in the apartment. "She'll be okay…" The lady said, after checking over the other woman for a few minutes. Saitama could hear that her sentence had been unfinished, but she didn't elaborate; so, he didn't press.

"Who are you?" The woman asked, directing the question to the bald man. Her green gaze was steady and unwavering. It took a few minutes; but she could see why her sister had been overwhelmed. The power rolling from this man was so far, immeasurable. "I'm Saitama." He introduced himself, brown eyes meeting her green before he asked, "Who are you?" The woman could feel her eyes widen in surprise, but she stifled the shock she felt.

"I'm Blizzard of Hell; B-Class, Rank one." Her tone was haughty as she introduced herself. But the attitude was more out of habit than meaning. While the man seemed unimportant and like he would be easily-manipulated; any thought of her attempts had gone out the door as soon as she had seen the company he kept. While expected, it was still surprising to see the ease with which he and the new S-Class hero; Demon Cyborg had interacted with. She could see it in the way the A-Class Rank one hero had talked to the bald man, she noted the close proximity the S-Class child genius kept with the older hero; how content both were in each other's presence.

An unfamiliar feeling planted itself in her stomach as she watched the others. A wave of want washed through her; no matter what she told her older sister, the woman never got to experience what she was seeing now. Some of the subordinates tried, but there was always something separating them. The formality of being the leader and a lackey, or her sister herself; but something was always there. The heroine was broken from her depressing thoughts when a cup was pushed into her hands.

"Thanks for coming over." A flat, emotionless voice said; despite the suddenness of his appearance beside her, the woman merely blinked as she looked to him. "No problem." She said quietly. "Thank you for calling me." Her words sounded hollow and flat; insincere. It made her feel sick. The woman sank into her melancholy thoughts again.

"You can fix things you know." Saitama said, making her focus on him again. The woman's eyes shone with confusion; the question on the tip of her tongue. "Your relationship with her." He elaborated before she could ask; his voice low and quiet as he settled next to the woman. "It's too late." She whispered, shoulders slumping with her words. There was a defeated, sad look in the green orbs now.

"It's never too late." Saitama said, the surety in his voice making the woman's neck snap up. "You just have to try again." He finished; drinking the last of his tea as he looked throughout the room. "I never thought I'd have this." He said; eyes unfocused and voice indirect. But the woman knew he was speaking to her. Instead of commenting, the woman decided to listen; she could empathize with him at least.

"You can call me Fubuki." The robust heroine said suddenly; breaking a moment of quiet between the heroes. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Saitama smile slightly; it made her stomach twist. "It's a pretty name." Was all he said; head bowed slightly in understanding of the interchange. Before they could sink into companionable silence again; her sister stirred. Fubuki shifted so that she was kneeling beside the futon instead of leaning against it.

* * *

"What the fu – ahh." The petite heroine groaned; her sentence cut off as her head pulsed with pain. Small hands went up to cradle her aching head. Eyes squeezed shut tightly as she tried to block the sudden pain. Soft, cold hands pressed against the esper's temples; the instant – but much appreciated – chill allowed the woman to relax. A minute passed as the lady leaned into the offered comfort; her muscles unraveling from their strain as she did.

Only when the woman's piercing headache had dulled to a manageable level did she remember what had happened. Her eyes snapping open suddenly; the lady moaned in pain again. That was a bad idea. The heroine breathed deeply, head bowed to block the most of the light as her blood settled from its rush. "Are you okay?" A very familiar, feminine voice asked quietly.

"I'm fine, Fubuki." The older esper's voice came out soft and almost childlike. She wanted to know why her younger sister was here; but she was so tired. Eyes shut again; the heroine reached out blindly, insistent fingers tugging on the fabric she found. The sound of the material brushing against the soft futon she had sat on was comforting to her ears. "How did you know?" The woman asked; her speech was muffled and quiet as she pressed into her sister's body.

The elder was grateful for her sister; even though they had parted on terrible terms the last time they had seen each other, she was still willing to comfort the S-Class. "Amai Mask had called me." Fubuki answered; slim, painted fingers carding through green curly locks slowly. The B-Class was a little uncomfortable; but seeing her sister in a state of weakness and Saitama's words fresh in her mind had let the younger shelf their differences and her pettiness. Her sister only responded with a confused sound, low in her throat. Fubuki wanted to explain what she thought had happened; but she knew she couldn't use their telepathic link yet.

The link allowed for them to stay connected. It could be used for communicating; though not with words, but pictures. But it also allowed her older sister to know when the younger needed help. While she hated the spat they had often gotten into; detested how her elder just put down her efforts in becoming strong. A deep-seated part of her was happy that she had such an incredible sister; though she went about it in the wrong way, Fubuki knew that her sister loved her.

Maybe they could patch their relationship. Like Saitama had said they could. It would never be perfect; it would take a long time, but it was still possible. With this in mind; the younger spoke quietly to her sister, asking her what had happened and explaining her own part in it. Even explaining the words that the bald hero had said to her.

* * *

The esper didn't speak as her sister spoke. She simply listened. She was embarrassed about the impression she had made. But she was also happy for it. Because of the weak moment, her younger sister had gotten to meet the hero she had come all this way for.

Just hearing what he had said to her, warmed the man to the heroine. She still wanted to speak to the hero for herself; but after listening to Fubuki, hearing the tone she took when she spoke of what he said, she could understand – just a little – why Amai Mask held the man in such high regard. The esper could hear quiet murmuring on the other side of the room; multiple voices speaking as they conversed with each other. But the sisters were otherwise left in a bubble of their own; slowly reconciling the damage their bond had taken. She pressed her face against her sister's shoulder again; a small smile gracing her lips as Fubuki just talked to her.

* * *

The day had passed slowly after the woman woke up. The room dividing itself as Saitama and his friends gathered together. Brown eyes watched the sisters for a moment before turning to Jun. "I don't know what you said Saitama," the model spoke in hushed tones, glancing at the psychic sisters before going back to his bald friend. "but you worked your magic again." He continued, smiling at his friend as Sei and Genos both nodded in agreement.

"What magic?" Saitama asked, confusion lacing his tone in a rare show as his eyebrows furrowed. "You bring people together." Sei said; watching the older man for a moment before his eyes widened. "You don't realize?" He questioned before he could respond. "Sensei," Genos spoke up, breaking into the conversation. "unintentionally or not, you manage to get people to come to you." The cyborg took an almost unnecessary breath before continuing.

"Silver Fang, Zombieman, myself, Metal Knight –" The teen began to ramble before Saitama turned his confused gaze to the model. "You've managed to befriend a sizeable chunk of the S-Class. The first of Class-A through C, and you didn't mean to do it?" Amai Mask finished with wide yellow-gold eyes. Saitama shook his head again; mind turning as he thought over what Jun said. "No. I never meant to do that." He confirmed, mouth set in a firm line as he went over each point.

"You have a certain charisma about you." Sei spoke up, unwrapping a lollipop before he continued. "Your power and the unknown origins of your strength is attractive. But you have this approach that will get people to act in a way they normally wouldn't." The child genius gestured to the murmuring sisters in example. "Haven't you noticed that you've gained the honor of addressing each of us by name?" Jun said, drawing the bald hero's attention again. Saitama had realized, and he knew the significance of it. But he had never thought of it in the way they are bringing up now.

Saitama said as much, watching as the A-Class shook his head in a disbelieving manner, a small smile on his lips. "Just watch, you're gonna flip the Hero Association on its head." The hero laughed; the dazed feeling of this revelation ebbing away as Saitama's eyes widened comically. "I'm just a hero for fun though." He said, the words coming automatically from his tongue. "That's why we go along with you Sensei." Genos spoke up again; yellow eyes wide and an odd gleam in them as he recorded the data. "Like bees to honey." Sei summed up, nibbling on his lollipop.

The bald man shook his head; not in denial but in incredulity. The information was undeniable when pointed out in such a way. But it was still hard to wrap his mind around. Saitama had never meant to do that; it had never happened before. So why would it start now?

* * *

The hero was interrupted in his confused thoughts when Sei and Jun had said goodbye; Sei had cram school and Jun had a photoshoot he had to get to, so both were leaving early. Saitama waved goodbye half-heartedly as he processed the information placed in front of him. But he was interrupted again twenty minutes later by Fubuki and her sister. "We have to go Saitama," Fubuki started; a small, happy smile had changed her haughty appearance into one of content. "I have to take her home." She continued, gesturing towards her sister; the woman still looked pale, but flushed at the same time.

She wore the same pleased smile, the faint green energy enshrouding her made the woman seem unreal. "Thank you." She said, her tone sincere; her body bent in a slight bow. "I hope we can meet again under better circumstances." She said before straightening. "Sure." Saitama said easily; his head tilted as he watched the heroine. She seemed embarrassed now; small fingers fidgeting with her hair as she hesitated.

Saitama waited patiently, curiosity driving the man to want to listen to what she had to say. "Thank you for helping Fubuki and I." Her words were rushed, but none of the sincerity had left it. Saitama opened his mouth to respond, but she kept going before he could. "I'd like for you to call me Tatsumaki." The woman said, her tone was demanding but there was an underlying hint of hope and insecurity. Her words caused Saitama to sigh; the conversation the men had still in the forefront of his mind.

 _There must be some truth to what they said._ He thought to himself. The man was honored by the offer, but it still seemed surreal. "Thank you, Tatsumaki." Saitama finally responded; the heat of her glare making the man shake away his thoughts. The change was instantaneous. A genuine, happy smile; wider than the one broke onto her face.

"I'll come visit in a few days." Tatsumaki called out to him, already pulling her sister out the door. Saitama opened his mouth again; ready to say something. But before he could they were gone; the door swishing closed and shutting with a firm but quiet click. The bald hero rubbed his face roughly; groaning as he fell laid back on the floor. _I'm going to have to get a bigger place._ The man thought to himself miserably; an odd mixture of happiness and discontent bubbling in his stomach.

 _I will never get to be alone again._

* * *

In City-G, inside of a small musty home. An old woman sat at her table, great pale eyes wide as she stared ahead. The woman wasn't blinking; her milky-grey eyes were unfocused. Wrinkled, frail hands shook as she wrote on a piece of paper. The penmanship was wobbly and nearly indiscernible.

As the woman wrote the last word; the pencil fell from stiff fingers; in the silence of her home, the woman's great coughing fit fell on deaf ears. Her lungs ached with the effort as she undid the wrapper of a cough drop. Hands shaking worse than before; the woman brought the cherry-flavored hard medicine to her lips. Spittle dripped from her open, chapped lips. The elderly woman was overcome with a second bout as the cough drop went into her mouth.

Faintly, she could feel the medicine lodge in her throat. Whatever remaining color in her eyes drained away as the woman expelled her last breath; the thin paper fluttering to the floor as her body tipped onto the table.

* * *

Days later; there was a faint knocking on the door. Two, orderly men stood on the molding porch of the home. "Lady Shibabawa," One man said, he was dressed in a crisp, pressed suit with a green tie; his brown hair styled professionally as noticeable silver-rimmed glasses framed his hazel eyes. "we've come to check up on you." The man tried to call again.

His knuckles were red and a little sore; but he didn't stop knocking. After three minutes of trying to call the elderly woman's attention. The man turned to his companion and coworker. "Let's go in, we need to check on her." His tone was serious and steady; not belaying the deep-pitted feeling in his stomach. The man nodded before he approached the door.

* * *

Five minutes of trying to open the solid, oak door – one last ram of his shoulder had done it – and the pair stepped into the stale house. The first thing they noticed was a terrible smell; stronger than any they've encountered when visiting before. The men exchanged wary glances before walking slowly into the house. Bile rose in their stomach as they followed the smell to its source. "We have to report this." The bearded man with messy black hair gasped; lips barely moving as he tried desperately not to get sick.

The man with glasses nodded silently in response, a light sheen of sweat covering his forehead as his stomach rolled; he had a green tinge to his cheeks. They turned to leave but before he could turn fully; a flash of white caught his eye. Deciding to investigate; the man took a shallow breath and held it. Approaching the deceased slowly but steadily. The man crouched as he peered at a sheet of paper.

His lungs ached with the lack of air; but the man didn't turn away. He felt this piece was important. He could feel his fellow's gaze upon his back, but the man pushed it away. Picking up the paper; the man turned it over in his fingers; eyes widened in horror as his mind registered the words. Glancing between the sheet and the renowned – now departed – woman he folded the paper, carefully pocketing it before turning back to his coworker.

The men walked away quickly; their gait now urgent as they vacated the house. Neither spoke as they traveled to City-A. The situation back in City-G now seemed dreamlike. But the weight the paper held in his pocket proved otherwise. Once they were at headquarters; they bypassed other workers, going straight to the Minister for Justice office.

"Sir." The bespectacled worker finally spoke; his eyes were steady and voice urgent as he explained the situation in City-G and the finding. Grey eyes were widened in horror as Sitch took the offered paper with trembling hands. Sweat beaded his upper lip as he read the shakily written note. The man's eyes swung back and forth over and over again; unblinking as he read the note once, twice until the words echoed in his mind. Sitch took a breath; the air shaky but calming.

"Call for an emergency S-Class meeting now." He said; eyes firm and lit with determination as he processed the given information and state they had found themselves thrown in. "Yes Sir." The workers said before walking out of the office and going to do their tasks. The man was left to his racing thoughts as he read over the note again; his shoulders shook as he practically poured himself into his chair.

" _Lady Shibabawa,"_ he thought to himself, words faint even in his own mind. _"what did you see?"_

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's note: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this. I really appreciate the kind reviews people have been leaving; and the help that I have received. Soo, this chapter goes to you guys.**

 **I hadn't expected the chapter to go the way it did, but my mind went one way and the characters took it the other and ran with it.**

 **I am hoping to wrap this story up soon, but I can't give an exact number. I don't know how far I'm gonna go in my attempt for AU. But, I am leading into the last three episodes of the anime.**

 **Whether I put in fillers between them or something else; I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet. But I'm hoping it turns out well either way. So, in my mind; the span of this story follows the months of summer, so I thought they were leading into august. I'll check the dates later and see if they line up.**

 **I did have some characters point out what Saitama is unconsciously doing, but it was gonna be brought to his attention eventually. I just hope I didn't mess that bit up.**


	11. Unmatched Mysteries

*** May contain webcomic/manga spoilers. Proceed with caution.**

 *** This took me a lot longer to get done than I had anticipated and hoped for.**

 *** Will contain signs of OOC.**

 *** I may not include details in the fights within each chapter. That isn't the focus of this story.**

* * *

Three days had passed since Tatsumaki's attempt at meeting Saitama. While they had managed to meet for lunch two days ago; the heroine was still embarrassed by what had happened when she had seen him. When the esper had brought this up; the bald hero asked why and she explained about her abilities and the fact that she could sense his. Her face had flushed when she told him, but the woman was happy that she could explain it to him. The man's face had transitioned from one of disinterest and dull-looking to one of seriousness and sharp angles.

It was a surprising change; but not unpleasing to the eye, the heroine realized. The woman would never admit it to another if one asked; but she was happy with this man. He was very easygoing and he held this appeal that just made people relaxed and wanting to confide in him. Tatsumaki was very amused when she had found out of his word limit though. But she could relate; people talked way too much.

The heroine had been unsure of their outing when it started; she didn't know if she was going to enjoy it. She wasn't sure if they would be able to get along; like she hoped they would. She wasn't sure where they would be able to stand; if he'd be able to put up with her domineering tendencies or her unequivocal attitude. While she normally didn't like to be proven wrong; she was pleasantly surprised to find that he was just as blunt as she, even if he was more laid back instead of getting in people's face like she did. It worked very well for him; she found.

She could see it the more she spoke with him; even though he was relaxed and unbothered by many things people would find irritating. He had proven to get his point across in a moment of seriousness. The moments were so rare and in-between for him; one was made to listen when he took the time. She had been shown this when she had explained bits of her bad history. The heroine was very surprised that she had been drawn in enough to reveal as much as she had; but she found herself comfortable with the fact.

After rehashing her time in the facility and her attempt at being allowed outside; only to find herself locked up and helpless when a monster had broken free. The terror she felt, and the fear that had made residence in her heart and mind. She even briefly told him of her savior; the hero Blast. Saitama didn't say anything as she spoke of it; the atmosphere around them heavy with bad emotions, he must've known that if she were interrupted, she would never be as forthcoming again. The esper had been unaware of the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes; and of the tightness in her throat, straining her voice.

* * *

Even when the salt had leaked from her eyes and created wet paths down her cheeks only to drip from her chin; the heroine didn't wipe them away. Her bright green eyes had dulled considerably and seemed dazed and unfocused; she found herself lost in the moment of terrible memories. Tatsumaki talked until she couldn't anymore. Whether her voice had died in her throat; sore with the amount of work she had put it through, or just that she had nothing left to say on the miserable matters, she didn't know. It had taken her a long moment to come back to her senses; the smell of fresh udon and rain-filled wind overriding the smell of smoke and fire.

The grain of the table in front of her and a water glass with condensation on the side filled her vision instead of darkness and flames licking the night sky. Her sense of touch had come back with a sear of heat; her skin becoming numb as her fingertips gripped the sides of a hot udon bowl. Sounds of her crying and sniffling; and the hero's blunt, unforgiving and discouraging words washed away slowly. They were replaced with happy chatter and the sounds of chopsticks hitting the side of ceramic bowls and occasional yelling as the chef and waiter took and delivered orders. Even though she was taken away from her memories; the esper stayed silent.

The hero in front of her didn't say anything; she didn't see it, but his usually lifeless eyes were sharp and focused on her. They were filled with a fire of their own; though the flame was small and unnoticeable as he processed all the information that she had given him. The esper was thankful for his silence; it allowed her to get her bearings and let her face settle back to its usual complexion, though it was a little flushed. Tatsumaki ignored the slight sting in her eyes as she looked up to the person across from her. Her voice was small and quiet; but still clear as she thanked him.

Saitama was the first person she had really told any of that to. She may have told her sister; Fubuki, but she couldn't remember. If she did; it probably wasn't as detailed as he had been informed. The heroine was relieved when the man just smiled in understanding and easily switched the conversation. She found it a little silly; how he ranted and raved about missed sales and unreasonable deals, but it still entertained her.

The esper was happy to be in his company. She was surprised, but not displeased when he made her laugh; it was very easy for him to do. It was a very nice change from how people normally acted around her. Hatred, fear, respect; it was all starting to mix together for her. She couldn't remember a time when she had enjoyed herself as much as she did that day.

* * *

Today wasn't like that day. Tatsumaki had woken up; green hair tangled and bushy, eyes hazy and filled with sleepiness still. She had shuffled through her large apartment; ready to just turn on the tv and relax for the day, or maybe call Saitama – the heroine was very happy when they had exchanged numbers – but none of that came to be. Instead; the esper was barely allowed to finish brushing her teeth before any plans she had wanted to do, were shattered by one phone call. The Hero Association had called to inform her of some dinosaur-like monster waking in the mountains.

They were pleading with her by the time they had told her of its rampage towards a distant village. The esper sighed into the phone and shook her head. Snapping to them to stop squabbling and that she'd be ready in a few minutes. Though she wanted to; the heroine knew she couldn't ignore her work. Even if it had become dissatisfying.

True to her word; the petite woman had forgone breakfast, donned her typical high cut black dress and low heels and flown to the hero association, phone in hand. The trip over had been long; the heroine unaware and unmoved if she made the worker uncomfortable. Instead of sitting and relaxing for the two-hour flight; she stood the entire time. Thick, fur-lined hooded coat wrapped around her short frame; the woman stoically looked at the metal of the floor, bright green eyes gazing at the line dividing the floor beneath her feet. She would be dropped from the plane as soon as they had gotten in range.

* * *

The monster was pitiful. It had been massive in size; but it had been defenseless against her powers. The heroine had taken one, disinterested look at it and had drawn a meteor from space to crush it; muttering to herself for it to take another three-million-year nap. Any humor she had felt at her own quip had been snatched away from one phone call. Again.

It took her a moment; but the esper had managed to push away her overwhelming anger enough to not crush the phone into dust. Not only does the Hero Association have the gall to interrupt her morning; but now she is being called in for an emergency S-Class meeting. But even with her anger; she had agreed to go, though they get on her nerves; the association had never called for a meeting like this one. Instead of feeling worry like she should've the S-Class rank two hero felt curiosity instead. With this train of thought; the heroine had forgotten all about her bald friend.

Even though they had called the conference with a note of urgency; the woman still found herself waiting two hours for others to even arrive. Her mood had been so terrible, that she just raised her nose to each of them. The heroine still hadn't eaten yet; and it was beginning to show in her attitude and actions. Her power would darken around her, and the chairs around the table would begin to shake and rise a little off of the ground. After the third instance of this happening; the esper decided to step out into the hallway to cool off a little.

The petite hero frowned a little as she saw Atomic Samurai with his back to her; he was speaking to others, but she couldn't see who. _"No handshakes."_ The Samurai declared; breaking the esper from her musings. _"I greet only the strong. Talk to me when you get to S-Class."_ The man said; turning away from the people. Tatsumaki was about to follow him into the meeting room; when she saw something reflective. Curious, the woman drifted closer to the small group; she could feel her eyes widen and her mind falter to a stop even as it registered the increasingly familiar costume and disinterested face.

"What the hell are you doing here, baldy?!" Tatsumaki yelled without thinking; green energy flaring as she zipped over to float in front of them. Her whirring mind barely registered Bang's surprised expression and Genos' wide yellow eyes as she honed in on the bald hero. "Oh hey, midget." Saitama said; his tone light and teasing; the esper couldn't find it in herself to react negatively. "Bang and Genos invited me." He said before stepping around her.

The esper could only float. She took a deep breath to calm down then followed after him. Tatsumaki opened her mouth to speak; but before she could, multiple voices called out. "Saitama!" The heroine could only watch; dazed and mouth hanging open slightly as many heroes stood from the table and crowded around her friend. Her face flushed; the heroine snapped her mouth shut, green eyes darting around as she took in each of them.

Child Emperor was standing to the left of him; closer to Bang. One hand held onto Saitama's jumpsuit, lollipop forgotten in the other as he spoke into a microphone. His words were discernible. King stood behind him; scarred face wrinkled as a small smile split his face; Saitama was nodding along to what he was saying. Metal Bat stood closer to Genos, and he was talking to the cyborg while gesturing to the bald hero.

Perhaps the most surprising of this odd bunch – even more than King – was the proximity and amiability shown between Zombieman and Saitama. The usually stoic; taciturn hero now had a slight smile on his face, red eyes lit with an emotion often not seen on him. He was standing on the left side of Bang; the group so crowded around this one hero that it seemed not to be able to fit anymore, but if one looked, they could see the way the undead man had leaned towards the man. Tatsumaki blinked slowly; not entirely sure that this scene in front of her was real. She was made to accept it when she had pinched herself and it still didn't go away.

Before the heroine could say anything in response to what had just happened; the doors had opened, revealing a bearded worker in a crisp suit with a red tie. A man wearing silver-rimmed glasses with hazel eyes – also wearing a crisp suit, but with a green tie – and a gray-haired man with a bulbous nose and brown suit with a dull red tie. Tatsumaki could barely feel her lips push into a smirk as the trio froze; eyes widening as they registered the bundle of heroes in front of them. The gray-haired man – Sitch, her mind recalled – moved his mouth soundlessly. Finally, he could force the words out. "Excuse me," He started, voice filled with confusion and wavering slightly as the heroes turned to face him.

The esper could see sweat beating at his forehead; his heart almost audible in the sudden silence. "Please sit down." He stammered out; blue eyes sweeping across the heroes. The heroine could see his eyes freeze for a moment, the orbs filling with understanding. She could feel her eyebrow raise as she followed his line of sight. Tatsumaki should've felt surprised that it had led her to Saitama; but she just wasn't.

Not after that display.

* * *

The silence in the room was palpable as each of them moved to a vacant seat. Each of them had managed to find their previous ones; putting them in order of ranking. Except for Genos; Saitama had sat between him and Puri Puri Prisoner. Multiple eyes lingered on the bald hero; questions flickering through their eyes but no one spoke them. He seemed unaware of their scrutiny; instead the man was asking a bot helper for a cup of tea.

Tatsumaki could only roll her eyes as she turned to the shocked H.A employees. "Why did you call us here?" She snapped; breaking them out of their daze. It was the bespectacled man who had spoken up this time; hazel eyes lingering on Saitama before taking in each hero in turn. "Lady Shibabawa is dead." He informed them flatly; his very visage showing perfect professionalism. The heroine could hear gasps around the room before they broke into quiet murmurs.

"Who's Chivamama?" Saitama's voice could be heard above each of them. Tatsumaki could see his lifeless eyes staring unfazed as each hero turned to him. The man was unaware that he had mutilated the woman's name in his attempt to say it. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Tatsumaki opened her mouth to respond; but Puri Puri Prisoner had beaten her to it.

"Lady Shibabawa was a renowned seer. She would predict times of danger for the hero association; natural disasters, inform us of monsters and their disaster levels." The large, buff hero explained. Saitama was so focused on the man's explanation that he didn't complain about him going over his often-imposed word count limitation. The bespectacled worker nodded in agreement and opened his mouth to speak again. But Saitama interrupted with another silencing question. "What do you mean disaster levels?" Each hero turned to him in shock.

Surely, they misheard him.

* * *

None of them could believe for a second that he wasn't aware; but each of them was proven wrong once they saw his furrowed brows and his questioning, brown eyes. It was Genos who answered him this time. "Sensei," The cyborg started; turned to the hero. "Disaster levels are what the Hero Associationuse to gauge the power of a mysterious being and the damage it could cause." Genos started; going ahead to explain each level and its definition. Each hero nodded along with his words; though several of them frowned when he had stated that each would consider the threat before responding.

Many of them were disgruntled by this statement, but others didn't show any response to the indirect jab. "But I guess they do not matter to you, Sensei." Genos said admiringly, leaning forward as he looked to Saitama. The man's next words were shocking to every person. "Well, of course not." Saitama had started; eyes flat but focused. "If heroes run away, who's left to fight?" His question was so simple; it held a type of naivety to it.

The present heroes could feel the question settle over them; his words thrumming in their bones. None of them knew what to make of this man; but each of them could now see what had drawn others in. Even those who considered themselves a friend of his were surprised; still, each had swelled with pride. They were pleased to have met such a person, hearing this exchange assured them in their decision to give him the honor of him knowing their names. Every hero looked to him with wide eyes; but it had gone unseen by the bald man.

He was accepting the tea off of the helper bot and drinking it deeply; he didn't seem to care that the steam was pushing into his face. Or that his fingers were burning against the hot cup. It was like he hadn't even felt it. The sound of the door opening with a quiet whoosh broke the contemplative silence of the group. Eyes widened and mouths dropped as they saw who had entered. Roughly human-sized, wires protruded from its shoulders and connected to the head; red gleaming eyes were visible even in the dim blue lighting of the room.

Reflections were hazy on its shining metal body. The bot moved into the room slowly; the clunk of its feet echoing. "Saitama." A voice came from the bot; robotic in nature but clear all the same. Heads swiveled to look at the bald hero. Saitama was holding up a finger, signaling for a moment.

Everyone could only watch as the man finished his tea; throat bobbing with every gulp. The cup was pulled away from his moist lips with a content 'aahhh'. "Bofoi, what's up?" The man asked; eyes steady on the robot as it approached. Minds seemed to freeze with this sentence; people unable to comprehend this moment. No one knew what to make of it.

Should they be more surprised that Metal Knight was here? That he approached Saitama? Or that they were on well-enough terms for the baldy to address him by name? A feat of which no one was allowed before. The scientist was adamant on the use of his hero name.

The only one's that weren't shocked were Genos and Bang; having been there for the exchange and very first interaction. Instead of shock and surprise being apparent on their faces; they only showed consideration and furrowed eyebrows. "Child Emperor had contacted me; said you had come here. We haven't had the chance to collect data." His voice came from the robot; the simple sentence breaking people out of their stunned silence. Saitama's friends were getting use to the situation; the shock of it was wearing off as each of them shook their heads. None of them knew the relationship between them; but really, none should've been surprised by the fact that even Metal Knight had been drawn into the web of Saitama's charisma.

The bot stood next to the hero now; head tilted down to better see the man. Saitama leaning back in his swivel chair; nodding along as he remembered their conversation that first day. "Sorry about that dude. A lot of things cropped up." He apologized; tone sincere even through the flatness of his voice. The man opened his mouth to say something again but a strangled noise came from the front of the room. Sitch was standing in place; sweat dripping from his face even as he looked at Saitama with wide eyes.

For such a high-strung, blubbering man; his eyes held such intensity that no one could respond. "Mr. Saitama," His voice was clear and steady; contrasting heavily with his facial expression. "I would like to speak with you later, but may we please get back to the reason why you've all been called here?" His voice didn't hold any anger or frustration. It was business-like but resonated with a hint of curiosity and it drew each of them back down to earth; they were here for a reason. Almost as one each of them quieted after that and turned their attention to him.

"Lady Shibabawa was found dead yesterday afternoon by these two men," Here Sitch gestured to the workers on either side of him before continuing. "they had been sent to check on her. They found this on the floor close to her body." Sitch held up a piece of paper before putting it on the table; print down, to be scanned. He took a deep breath as the words popped up on a holographic screen in front of them. The words; _The earth is in trouble_ was seen clearly by all. Murmurs and panicked whispers broke out before Sitch could speak again.

"We do not know what she could've seen. But we know that danger is approaching; whether it be tomorrow or in the next six months, we don't know." Sitch opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted yet again. "If that's the case, it could even be today." Saitama's voice pierced through the room; silencing each of them once his words registered. Sitch blinked once. Twice. Then nodded a little.

"That's true." The man said; voice shaking a little with the mere thought. A sound seemed to ring in the air as Saitama smirked; the transition between his normal appearance and his serious one was apparent to each of them. His eyes seemed to gleam with anticipation. Saitama opened his mouth to continue talking but before he could; a blaring ring sounded, and they were pitched into darkness.

The very foundation of the building shook as something collided against it.

* * *

Outside the Hero Association Headquarters; a shadow loomed over the tall, onyx building. Everything around this lone building was destroyed. Streets broken and cracked; past buildings and homes now crumbled to dust and debris. Cars were crushed underneath; blood seeped from the metal. In an instant; City-A was destroyed.

Thousands of lives were snuffed out in one moment of time. It had happened too fast. There wasn't even a time to breathe before they died. Women, children and men alike each had perished under the sudden artillery and broken stone. Any survivors were taken care of in another moment by a mysterious being.

The being was unsightly, dotted brown skin had the appearance of melting in the heat. Powerful wings protruded from its shoulders; holding the tall being high above the shattered city. Five heads were visible; fused together into one giant blob, each of them had a pair of red, shadow-filled eyes. Its right arm was extended out, but instead of a hand; it had taken the shape of something like a battle-axe. Haunting, unforgettable sounds came from its various mouths; the language couldn't be understood, but if anyone close enough were alive they'd shudder with fear.

Above the being was a long, large dark ship. The very air seemed to hum as it floated behind it. It moved in the air like a boat through water. The artillery attack had come from its machinery; the beasts within having attacked as soon as they had stopped.

In the shadow of the ship; multiple red eyes gleamed as a shadowy smile split its many faces.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's note: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know I shouldn't apologize for taking so long to update. So, I won't. But I am sorry if this chapter is a little disappointing. I had so many issues with it; I just could not figure out how to get into it.**

 **I don't know how to feel about this one. This chapter was the main driving point for me to do this story. I just don't know if I really like how it turned out. Even if I tried not to think too much on this point instead of the ones leading up to it; I feel a little disappointment for it.**

 **Hopefully that'll change once I don't have to worry about this one anymore.**

 **I stopped where I did because I didn't want the chapter to be too long. And it felt right. Also, I hope this makes up for the change in focus in what I had meant to be Tatsumaki's chapter.**


	12. The Tyrant of the Cosmos

*** This may contain Webcomic/Manga spoilers. Proceed with caution.**

 *** So, this one includes a mix of characters who focus on or notice Saitama. I may not make all of them friends; just associates or allies. We'll have to see where I go with that.**

 *** I hope I managed to cover some major points of the episode. I know the transitions were everywhere, hopefully I'll feel a bit unsure of that once I post this. Tell me if I missed any that were important or if there were any not included or less detailed that you would've wanted to see or know more of.**

 *** After this, last episode of the anime. Maybe a special episode, then I delve into manga/AU territory. Everyone wish me luck.**

* * *

The building trembled on impact. Whatever had hit them came with such force that everyone could feel their bones vibrate. There was yelling and scrambling, fights breaking out in their frustrations. Many voices could be heard but Saitama's. The attack had been so sudden; it nearly jolted the hero out of his seat.

Only quick reflexes and a slight grip with his fingers kept the man from ending up on the floor. Saitama swore to himself quietly as he felt something give under his slim fingers. The sound of the table cracking under his hold was loud in his ears. The man was still cursing under his breath when the lights flicked on. The room bathing in a red, eerie glow.

"Sensei," Genos started; his voice nearly reverberating off the walls to be heard. "are you alright?" The cyborg had been thrown into the wall from the hit. His reflexes were not yet fast enough to save himself. Yellow eyes glowed as they searched for the bald man. "I'm good, Genos." He called before the teen could begin to panic.

The kid had nothing to worry about; especially when it came to him. But he was peculiar like that. Saitama could already feel the air in the suddenly cramped room heating. His brown eyes weren't as easily seen in the odd lighting; but they were able to take in minute details. Bodies were strewn across the room; some piled on the other while the rest were thrown at the table or walls.

Many of them were out of breath from the upheaval. It seemed Saitama was the only one who had managed to catch himself. "What the hell?" He could hear Tatsumaki groan not too far from him; her voice low but still audible. Saitama opened his mouth to respond when the room lightened unexpectedly. The sound of a strangled choke brought them all out of their grumblings; eyes drawn to the source.

* * *

Sitch stood on his feet. Hair disheveled and tie rumpled; his face was ghostly pale, noticeable even under the dim lighting. "T-the city has taken ninety-eight percent damage." He stuttered out; mouth agape as his eyes took in the data. He didn't want to believe it. How he desperately hoped it wasn't true, but the information was right before his eyes.

The light from the holographic screen and the large numbers glared at him; making his eyes narrow to try to block out the brightness. "Why is this building standing; if the city had taken that kind of damage?" Child Emperor's voice rang out, silencing the murmuring heroes. Many voices rang out with the same questions. "I've designed this building." The voice from Metal Knight's bot ringing above all. "Of course, it couldn't be taken down." If pride and arrogance could be told from a robot; now would be the moment.

The sound of plaster crumbling and metal bending were ear piercing. The unexpected sound drawing every eye to its source. Genos stood; mouth open in shock, yellow eyes bright and wide as he stared at the ceiling. The building which was just proclaimed indestructible now bore a circular hole. Saitama's chair was spinning but there was no hero in it.

Before anyone could react; Tatsumaki burst into laughter. "I guess you didn't take S-Saitama into account, did you?" The heroine giggled; voice hitching over her friend's name as she breathed. The incredulity of the situation, and of the sight of the perfectly round chink broke the heroes out of any lasting shock. Metal Bat, Bang, Atomic Samurai and Puri Puri Prisoner filed out the door; agreeing to each other to take the attack from the ground. As suddenly as it sounded; the esper's mirth was cut off.

* * *

She was already floating through the opening when she could hear other's scrambling. The sudden light and rise in temperature told the woman that Genos was behind her. "You better not be looking up my dress." She snapped at the teen; her power darkening around her frame as she broke through the top. The cyborg opened his mouth in a retort; but before he could get a word out, Superalloy Darkshine had climbed out, soon followed by Child Emperor then King. The youngest hero was sucking on a lollipop; eyes intent on a screen before him as each of them looked up to an aircraft.

It was high up in the sky; beyond the reach of any except maybe the Tornado of Terror. Child Emperor was about to say so when the flash of yellow broke through his vision and an apathetic voice rang out. "What's up guys?" Saitama asked; voice flat as he spoke. The bald hero was standing at the edge of the roof; nearly out of everyone's sight if not for his eye-catching uniform and reflective head. "Is that what demolished the city?" Darkshine asked instead; beady eyes glancing at his fellow bald hero.

The muscular man was curious about the man in front of him. His words and actions clear in his mind as he briefly went over the meeting. But they had more pressing matters; the bodybuilder could ask his questions later. "I guess so." The man shrugged; eyes beady as well as they glanced into the sky. "I'm gonna go check it out." He said, knees bending and his muscles bunching.

Saitama pushed himself into the air with ease; the force of his jump lifting him almost level with the craft. None of the heroes left on the rooftop could move before he jumped; his words making them freeze. Each of them could only watch with wide eyes as the man went. Before any of them could do more than twitch; a whistle broke on the wind. Twelve shells; about the size of a wrecking ball flew past them, the rush of air so powerful it nearly pushed each of them back.

Eyes stinging from the sudden breeze; no one looked away as Saitama shifted. The man didn't have anything to push from; yet he was able to twist and turn through the air like it was nothing. If they had blinked, none would've seen what happened next. The mortar seemed to brush by him; but one. Instead of letting this one speed by him; he lifted his leg.

He was so high up it was difficult to see his actions clearly. But the sight of the metal caving in on itself and crumbling like a ball of paper was hard to miss. The screech of metal tearing and folding hurt their ears; but his words were still audible. _"Go back to your planet!"_ Saitama's voice could be heard by each hero; his tone fierce and filled with determination. They could only watch as he kicked the bullet back; the ease of it was like watching a kid kick a ball.

With a burst of smoke and more screeching metal; the torn mortar met the ship. The impact of which tore a hole on the underside. "You guys handle taking it down." The words floated back to the heroes on the roof; the impossibility of what they had seen fresh in their minds. Though none blinked in their shock; no one had seen Saitama disappear. It was only known when they could hear crashes and the ship seemed to tremble every time that they realized.

* * *

The group of heroes spent a moment in silence before each shook their head roughly. They would just have to analyze everything later, they subconsciously decided before each of them broke into action. King stayed with Child Emperor; the child genius studying the screen in front of him; his cameras having gotten photos of the ship before and Saitama's breach. Superalloy Darkshine had jumped back down through the roof's opening; faintly telling each of them that he was going to inform the higher-ups of the recent developments. Tatsumaki and Genos didn't speak to each other; simply nodding in understanding before they flew off.

The green glow of the esper and the sudden burst of flames the only signal of their departure. The cyborg flew above while the heroine went below. Each of them breaking into their own attacks simultaneously. Despite the unexplained and unplanned teamwork; the ship didn't budge from its spot. It took damage, but didn't even drop an inch.

The only sign of progress was the screech of metal, burst of smoke and shudder of whatever Saitama was doing from the inside.

* * *

On the ground; far below the ship five heroes surrounded the mysterious beast. Many were already bruised; but none were willing to give into their aches. Not even the blonde knight-looking hero who had a bleeding stump at the elbow. It was all that was left of his arm. Though he was rapidly losing blood, and the pain was sure to be immense; he showed no sign of his suffering but for a slight tremble in his frame and a pale sheen to his complexion.

" _It possesses incredible regenerative abilities."_ The A-Class hero yelled in warning; his hand slick with blood as he tried to stop the flow. His grey eyes were shadowed but still wide as his mind sluggishly registered the fact that an S-Class hero just pummeled the beasts with nothing but his fists. Despite the impressive display; he was helpless to watch as its flesh melded together. It was disturbing to watch, he found; the skin and muscle stitching to each other again. _"Dodge its attacks at all costs."_ Iaian yelled; voice hoarse and becoming fainter as the gaping wound was finally washing over him.

He could only watch in bewildered amazement as Silver Fang; an elderly hero, cut in front of the inmate. The man moved with speed Iaian thought would've been near impossible for one of that age. He could feel a sense of hope bubbling in his stomach as the man blocked an attack with ease. The force of it made the wind rush past each of them; his strength and power visible in a stream of air. The man's legs didn't even buckle as he met the hit head-on.

Even as the hero's vision faded slowly into black; he was in awe as the force of the blow knocked the monster off its feet, sending it flying back and crashing into the rubble that was once City-A. The beast's growling was becoming faint then turning into a moment of silence before the weakened hero fell into unconsciousness. None of the others were aware of their fallen comrade; so focused were they on the new find made by Metal Bat. Each of them was intent on getting at least one marble. There were now four heads; one for each of them.

It was almost like a game.

* * *

By the base of the Hero Association Headquarters; a bearded worker dressed in a suit and tie was conversing with a stubborn, insistent helmet-wearing hero. The young man was trying to convince the other to let him go search for survivors. But the worker wasn't budging. In good conscious, he couldn't let the admirable hero go alone. Mumen Rider wasn't giving in though; whether his employer liked it or not, he was going out there and searching. In a rare show of anger; gloved hands clenched around his bike's handlebars.

His mouth set into a firm frown. His shoulders were drawn back and though his head was bowed slightly; one could see the stubbornness set in. The worker sighed; he was ready to give in. He wanted there to be survivors, he wanted the C-Class to search. But he couldn't send one man to search an entire, destroyed city.

The problem seemed to have been heard by something above. In the next moment; two voices called out. The bodies of A-Class heroes, Stinger and Lightning Max approaching. _"Which areas are most likely to have survivors?"_ The hero for justice demanded; voice trembling with held back fury. _"We want to know too."_ Stinger said; the pair of them having heard the tail-end of the conversation.

Though the bicyclist was ranked in the lowest class; each of them couldn't help but to admire his spunk. They had been in City-B when this one was attacked, and though they had both just recently come from the hospital; they felt the need to help. They weren't the strongest, nor the fastest; not even the most admirable. They were man enough to admit that they wanted the glory of being higher-ranked. Both had come to terms with the fact that they weren't the very picture of heroism; they boasted too much for that.

They had been forced to see these facts when they had laid in the hospital, healing from the attack of the mysterious being from the sea. Though they were injured; their pride had taken the biggest hit. Sure, they crowed about their achievements, often exaggerating but still. It was like a slap to the face; or better fitting, a douse of cold water, when they found out that a – at the time – C-Class hero had defeated the beast with such ease. When they were talking about it in their neighboring beds, they had both agreed that it was unbelievable.

But neither were willing to just leave it at that. They were too honorable to allow themselves to do that. Both agreed with each other to meet the man first; if nothing more than for the reason to thank him. Even if it was indirect, the bald hero had avenged them and their honors. Though unaware to themselves; both hoped to get to do more than that, but they didn't quite know what.

" _Do you mind if we borrow this?"_ Lightning Max asked the bearded worker; hand slapping against a dark green, armored van. He ignored the sting in his hand as blue eyes stared at the worker. Unknown to Max; the black haired hero had been thinking back on the last large-scale incident also. Just like his dark-haired companion, he wanted to meet the bald man and prove his worth as a hero. Even if his motives seemed egotistical; the young hero was in fact selfless, but it didn't get shown very often.

The three heroes watched as the bearded worker nodded; a feeling like relief filling his dark eyes. "Be safe." The man said; brown eyes shining as he looked on the trio. The heroes nodded before climbing into the van; stinger climbing behind the wheel as Mumen Rider put his bike into the back. Each of them had determination in their varied-colored eyes as they drove away.

* * *

On the ship, there was a sight to behold. Saitama tore through with ease. It was like a child unwrapping a present on Christmas morning. There was a faint, underlying feeling of glee as the bald man searched. Nimble, glove-clad hands peeling metal back like it was paper.

His lungs filled eagerly with smoke as he kicked and punched the walls. Though the emotion was vague in its intensity; his dulled emotions doubling the sensation, he could feel excitement coursing through his veins. Sure, every being he had run into so far still fell with a single punch; that was disheartening, but it was a new experience. His keen ears could pick up the sound of the barrage of attacks from above and below. The chilling sound of something akin to laughter settled over the edges of his hearing.

Even though Tatsumaki and Genos probably couldn't really see the damage they were doing. Saitama could feel it make the air vibrate; each collision making the ground shudder under his feet. The man's senses were heightened so much that with each hit, he could feel a change of gravity. The ship was lowering; the change so miniscule it was unnoticeable to everyone but him. The air filled with a screeching ring; making the man pause in his light jog, brown eyes whipping around, trying to find the source of sound.

The ship shuddered with a violent jolt as multiple mortar cases hit the bottom. _'Probably Tatsumaki's doing.'_ Saitama thought to himself as he ran again, through twisting and confusing hallways. When he couldn't find a way through; the man simply punched and made his own path.

Something in his mind tickle;making the man stop again. The hallway forked, the feeling was indistinct and indefinite but there all the same. With a sudden inhale of smoke, the man sneezed; the force of the expelled air making the ground pierce with a small hole. Sniffling slightly, the man swiped at his nose with his gloved hands. The cartilage in his nose tingling as something settled over him.

Though he could hear no voice; the man felt compelled to leave. The feeling trying to drive him to go right. Breathing in deeply; Saitama gave a gentle push in his mind. His immense willpower expelled whichever force he felt with no effort at all. The weight on his mind and the odd feeling in his nose lifted.

Saitama smiled wickedly; turning on his heels to face left. The man's smile was wide and almost childish in appearance; but the being behind the door still shuddered as it watched helpless as the man approached. The bald man let his arms swing as he jogged to the large metal door; even with his rapid arrival, the hero didn't slow. He tore into the frame, uncaring as metal warped back, peeling away from his body. The force of impact made smoke and distilled air rush past him.

* * *

Despite his lackluster expression and unimpressionable build, the sudden appearance made the mysterious beings in the room freeze. Saitama blinked as one started to move; the undulating tentacles pushing the octopus-like beast high into the air. The bald man rubbed his eyes a little; face one of disinterest even as a high growl broke the silence. The rainbow-like colors enveloped the beast like Tatsumaki's power did. He could only briefly wonder if this monster's abilities were like his newest friends before a barrage of rubble and metal shot past him.

The surprise of the attack was enough to push him back before he let his knees tense; muscles coiling as he stopped the forced movement. Saitama opened his mouth to speak but the sight of dog and cat-like creatures jumping up and running silenced him. He could feel a slight change in the pressure around him; but it didn't bother or affect him much. Even when the hero watched metal crumble and crush the fleeing monsters; to him, it felt more like the comforting hand of a parent or guardian. The sudden weight so light and familiar to the strong man that he couldn't help but smile, even as he felt his ankles push into the metal he was standing on.

Saitama yawned slightly, eyes watering and narrowing as he reached up blindly. He plucked a pebble out of the air; a strange golden glow enveloping the room. Eyeing it curiously, Saitama shrugged and threw it gently at the beast. He stared, unblinking as the precision of the pebble was true; tearing through its head as if it was a wet paper towel. Saitama's nose scrunched up in disgust as he jumped down.

The sound of faint snuffling lead him to a portion of the wall as far from where he was as it could've been. _"Excuse me,"_ Saitama asked; expression resetting into its norm as he approached slowly. _"would you mind telling me where your boss is?"_ He asked; watching disinterestedly as the beings looked to each other with gaping mouths.

* * *

In another part of the ship, deep within the bowels; a lone being sat on a throne. Its large; single eye widening as he could sense immense power. It was enticing, the beast found. The alien was nearly drowning in the sensation; so unfamiliar to the monster, yet the being felt something within connect to the source. Body shuddering with pleasure; the half-lidded eye snapped open.

' _The man approaches.'_ Were the only words echoing in its mind; a wide, eager smile splitting its face. Sharp teeth glinted in the odd pinkish-purple lighting.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.  
Author's Note: Hi guys, sorry for the unexpected break. I just couldn't get into the chapter. It was actually scary with how easy this one was to write once I got started.  
Anyway, I hope you enjoy; and I would like to thank you for the kind reviews. They are very encouraging and I really appreciate it. So, this one is for you guys. **


	13. The Strongest Man

*** May contain spoilers from Manga/Webcomic. Proceed with caution.**

 *** I will say so now; but also, again in the Author's Note below. I'm sorry for disappearing on you guys.**

 *** This chapter may be a bit rushed and odd because I just want to get it out of the way. But I will manage to work with what I give you. Even if I did things differently; I'll do my best to go with what's there. Hope no one hate's it.**

 *** This story is not meant to focus on action or fighting; instead its focus is on the developing relationships. So, any lack of details on those parts is deliberate.**

* * *

The alien otherwise known among its kind as Lord Boros grinned to himself; his large, yellow-blue eye wide. His sharp teeth bared in a show of barely restrained glee. _Finally, I will get my match._ The being thought; body practically vibrating with excitement as the massive metal door burst before him. Shards flying past the alien as smoke billowed out from the impact. Within the grey smoke stood a man dressed in yellow, red and white.

His aura was simply _oozing_ with power beyond the limits the alien could read. His bald head reflected the lighting; eyes white and narrowed. He was crouching in an imposing stance; muscles bulging as the cape he wore swept back with the force of air pushing back against his body. Boros wanted to clap; the picture this man made was very impressive, the best this earth had to offer. The being's fingers twitched as he resisted this urge; the man deserved a better greeting than that.

Standing from his large throne; the Tyrant of the Cosmos deemed it fitting for him to walk before this man, instead of simply flashing in front of him. The sound of metal creaking with every step was heard as a voice began to whisper in the hero's mind. _"Before we fight, let us exchange names."_ The being descended the stairs as he began to monologue. " _I lead the pirate band known beyond your world as Dark Matter, I also hold the title of Dominator of the Universe- "_ Here the alien stopped; grin wide once more and teeth glinting in the light. _"I am Boros."_ He said his name regally; head held high as he looked down upon the shorter being.

" _I'm a hero for fu- "_ The man started before pausing. _"– a professional hero."_ He corrected himself; pupils tiny and colorless as he looked up to the alien before him. _"My name's Saitama."_ The bald hero felt a little strange; responding to a voice inside of his head. But it wouldn't be the oddest thing he's ever encountered; definitely new though. This made the man excited.

He hasn't gotten to experience new things in a while.

* * *

Outside of the ship; on top of the battered, yet still standing Hero Association Headquarters, a group of heroes and one worker stood. Child Emperor stood above each of them; the spider legs protruding from his backpack holding the child hero above all. Even as his hazel-colored eyes studied the holographic screen in front of him, he spoke to the others before him; words slightly jumbled around the lollipop in his mouth. "Saitama has jumped aboard the ship, along with Tornado of Terror's and Genos' combined efforts, they've dealt a great amount of damage. But the ship won't fall still." Here the child took a deep breath; his mind rolling over the theory he and Metal Knight had spoken of once the bot had come up with Superalloy Darkshine and Sitch. "It's almost like there's some source of power holding the craft aloft." In any other situation; the child would've been amused at the wide-eyed looked the Minister of Justice gave.

"What can we do?" The worker finally breathed out; voice quiet and filled with a bit of fear. "Nothing." The child said flatly; the sound of the metal legs loud in each of their ears as he moved. "It'll have to be taken down from the inside." These words left the Minister feeling ill. Watery blue eyes looked up at the ship fearfully. Even if the hero Saitama had made an impression on an impressive amount of heroes; - _high-ranking ones at that –_ the minister reminded himself, the aging blonde male still couldn't see how this could be done.

He had never seen the man's power for himself. Only receiving reports and seeing the results of the changes as the bald man made an impression in each hero's life. Though he had hopes for this hero; he didn't have the trust or the knowledge to see that this hero could handle the situation. He desperately wanted to believe it; but the man's power had to be seen by yourself. The way he spoke and pressed into another's space and managing to change a person; they had to experience it.

This was why each hero had accepted the man; why they decided to get close. When this man worked; he did it in such a way, it was like he did nothing at all. He wasn't disparaging towards another person; he didn't look down upon someone for being weaker, or shorter, or younger. He accepted each of them as they came; impressing upon them that they can be themselves. Each of these effected heroes had never really had this chance; and now that it was presented to them, the didn't want to let it go.

But the association worker knew none of this. He opened his mouth; vocal cords rubbing together as he readied himself to say something. Before he could, Sitch looked around. Child Emperor seemed content; not a hint of worry. King stood on the far side of the roof; his heart – otherwise dubbed as the King Engine – audible even with the distance.

His arms were crossed and his stance seemed menacing; scarred face set as blue eyes glared up at the aircraft. Sitch simply thought that he was leaving the situation to the B-Class; the worker remembering how he was one of the handful of heroes who flocked to the bald man. Though; mentally King was scared. His fear so pronounced that his heart beat rapidly inside of his chest; it still amazed him that the arteries could work so much that people could _hear_ his heart pounding. Only through practice did the man manage to not tremble and shake in his very shoes.

Sitch began to feel a seed of trust for the bald hero as he looked at the reconnaissance drone Metal Knight had delivered. No emotion showed on its face of course; red eyes bright as the bot scanned the ship. Even the hero behind the machine had become entranced with Saitama. The Minister didn't know how it had happened; but the man had made such an impression that he was one of the two people to be allowed to address the scientist by name. The blonde worker wasn't sure which was the most impressive feat.

The fact that this man had gotten even the most stoic of S-Class heroes to open up; if only with him. That he had gotten Amai Mask to become less overbearing and more approachable. Or that he had even gotten the heroine; Tornado of Terror reined in. If only in his presence. Most impressive of all; the Minister found, was the way he interacted with these heroes.

He didn't treat them any differently because of their ranks or their abilities. He didn't say some rude remark because one couldn't do what another was able. In that one moment of seeing the cluster of heroes; Sitch had seen a group of powerful people interacting and pressing for one man. Though in its brevity; it had been very shocking, the worker – who was surprisingly observant – had been able to see just a smidgen of why each of them gravitated towards this one man. That was a large reason why he wanted to meet with this hero later.

* * *

The worker had been so lost in his thoughts; he never realized that his body had moved unconsciously. Settling into a more comfortable position as his blue eyes remained locked on the ship. Underneath the craft; the quartet of heroes were finishing up with their fight. Each of them panting with the exerted effort; the heroes were all in various stages of exhaustion. Though they were among the strongest in the association; this being had been a new experience for them all.

None having to put such effort into a mysterious being before. They've all fought Demon-or-higher level threats. But those monsters didn't usually have regenerative abilities this one had shown. "Let's go back to headquarters." Metal Bat said; sweat dripping from his pompadour and onto his forehead. His muscles were sore, but his limbs didn't shake as he lifted his weapon onto his shoulder.

The hero; Silver Fang nodded in agreement, wizened hands patting his bared back. Scars littered the elder's body, made prominent on his tanned skin by his muscles. The man possessed strength that one his age shouldn't. One-by-one the group of heroes started to make their way towards the tall; onyx building. Metal Bat speeding up a little to catch up with the elderly hero.

"How do you think Saitama is doing?" The teen asked; dark eyes glancing up at the trembling ship. The green outline of the heroine; Tornado of Terror was a mere speck in the distance. Large pieces of rubble lifting effortlessly with her power before it was flung to the craft. The younger hero couldn't see Genos or his progress; but there had been a brief moment before when he had seen the erratic teen engulfed in fire and sparks of lightning. Though the cyborg's face wasn't visible to him; he had spent enough time around the guy to know his face would be set into one of seriousness.

The sound of Silver Fang letting out a groan broke the younger out of his thoughts. The man inhaled deeply; shoulders relaxing before he answered. "I've only seen a modicum of his power." The elder man's voice was gravely and low; yet still audible. "But if anyone had a chance to bring them down; it would be him." The man's words were spoken with such surety, the unnoticed eavesdroppers behind them couldn't help but internally agree. The inmate hero and samurai exchanged looks; eyes drifting upward almost as one.

Would the hero they saw before really be able to bring _that_ down?

* * *

Inside of the Hero Association building; there sat a small cluster of heroes. Each of them seeing that they weren't needed; but all too curious about the bald hero to go home. Even Watchdog Man; a hero who preferred to work alone and within his own territory had remained. None of them spoke; the room filled with a heavy, but not uncomfortable silence. They were all lost in their own thoughts; each orbiting around one man.

They had all heard the rumors; how this hero had attracted the attention of certain heroes. Many of them were within their own ranks; so, it was hard not to notice. The changes they've seen from each of them was noticeable. Genos was still fairly new, and he had been one of the firsts to meet the man. So not much in differences of behavior could be said.

Zombieman seemed to have changed; just seeing the way he gravitated towards the hero before the meeting showed that much. Silver Fang; while cordial to many, one of the more approachable heroes, seemed more genial than usual. Child Emperor seemed more likely to act his age. If he were ever talking with the others about the man; he could often be seen with a smile on his face. Perhaps the most obvious changes of the group were Metal Bat and Tornado of Terror.

The teen hero was often coined as a delinquent or deviant among the higher-ups. Said to be hot-headed and brash; unless he was thinking or talking about his sister. He was more of an act-first, ask questions-later kind of hero. Very powerful and one of the longer-standing ones if able to fight with what he said was fightin' spirit. But nowadays, all one had to do was mention the bald hero and his personality would practically do a three-hundred-sixty-degree turn.

The changes were small at first; he would smile more and be less to jump the gun. He listened better; was patient. But that was limited to small bouts. Instead of sitting alone and brooding about missing out on a piano recital or whichever promise he had made to his sister for the week. Metal Bat was seen gravitating towards what Sitch and two other workers had dubbed the 'Saitama Group'.

Tornado of Terror had changed drastically after meeting the man. While still rash and willing to threaten anyone or crush anything in the vicinity when she thought someone was withholding information from her. All one had to do was say the man's name and she would brighten up. More often than not; if she wasn't fighting monsters, she could be found in a room with the others, or just with Genos asking how the hero was. It was a frightening notion.

How one man had affected many of the heroes lives in such a way. Perhaps not an unwelcome gesture; but nerve-wracking none the less. The higher-ups had at first; acted like a chicken without its head. They were frantically trying to pull up as much information as they could about him. But before he had joined the association; to them, it seemed like he simply didn't exist.

Even after joining; the man very rarely told the association of his deeds. It was instead done by one of the S-Class heroes then as time went on the top-ranking heroes of Class-A through C. None of them had been willing to let his work go unnoticed. But it seemed like the bald hero didn't care to do it. After the first few instances; Sitch had managed to gather enough courage to ask the S-class heroes said to be close to him at the meeting a couple of days before.

That had gone down like one pulling teeth.

* * *

Not a single one of them was willing to give more information than they deemed necessary. None had wanted to talk more of him than they knew. When asked why Saitama wouldn't turn in the paperwork for his deeds; or why he would claim to be cheating after the Sea-Folk incident. Each of them had claimed he wasn't a hero for praise or recognition. But one for fun.

That hadn't sat well with many other of the heroes. But Flashy Flash had been the most foolish. He had voiced his opinion on the matter. Scoffing that maybe the man was everything he claimed to be that night. A deep feeling of cold fear had settled in Sitch's stomach in the moment of silence.

The Minister didn't even have time to blink before hell broke loose. Genos had broken into angry shouts; the room rapidly heating as his palms practically spilled with fire. His yellow eyes filled with unrestrained rage. The plates of his arms and shoulders crackled with electricity as the air filled with an angry hum. But that wasn't the only thing that had happened.

At the same moment; the chairs and table had begun to tremble, enshrouded in an unfortunately, familiar green tinge. Metal Bat had jumped to his feet with a shout and was threateningly waving his weapon around with a promise to bash heads; fingers clenched white around the slim handle as it seemed a vein would pop. Perhaps the most unnerving of reactions was not Genos, Tornado of Terror or Metal Bat. But Silver Fang and King. The elderly hero hadn't jumped to his feet; instead he stayed seated, grey-blue eyes glaring at any who dared to meet his eyes.

His muscled arms were crossed over his chest; making them more pronounced than usual. His mouth had been set in a frown, so upset was he at the slight to his new friend that he wouldn't even speak to Atomic Samurai; perhaps the closest in fighting style and understanding at the end. King sat still in his chair; King Engine roaring within. His face was set like stone; the emotion enhancing his scars. Unknown to everyone though; the otaku had frozen in fear at the sudden outburst, he was offended for Saitama, but he desperately wanted out of the room and away from angry heroes.

It had taken ten minutes to get things back in order; the outburst so surprising that the others didn't know how to react. Even Flashy Flash had lost his sneer; face dropping instead into one of shock. Sitch was near tears as he tried to talk down the volatile heroes. The only reason why he hadn't broken down was the fact that the bearded and bespectacled workers he was often seen with had been able to help. That, and the Minister had been too shocked; mind barely comprehending the situation he found himself in.

They had been unable to finish the meeting, each of the angered heroes leaving in a huff. Later that day; sweat dripping from his forehead, the Minister had made a note to himself. Asking the heroes of Saitama was like going through an active minefield. Once he had been able to drop into his chair; door shut firmly closing his office from the others. The man considered, perhaps; walking through a minefield would be safer.

* * *

Even as the remaining heroes decided to leave; two sat in their same spots. One-by-one the room emptied; no one offering a word of farewell to another. Tank-top Master; a broad-shouldered, muscular man with short cropped dirty blonde hair sat with a small frown on his face. He had come in from his attempt at aiding the others ten minutes before. Shoulders slumped with defeat and ego bruised heavily as his mind mulled over the psychic powers that one esper held.

He had spent years training; hours upon hours counting and working through sets to get to where he was now. The man sat at the pinnacle of the Tanktopper Army; one of the well-known factions within the Hero Association. Yet here he was; brooding at the fact that he had been forced to leave a girl to take the ship down. He had been unwillingly made to realize that he couldn't keep up with her abilities and that if he tried anyway; he would've gotten in the way. One thought led to another; and the man had found himself thinking of a certain hero.

The man's appearance within the meeting had been an unexpected one. Full of surprises. He could barely believe the sight it had made when others had swarmed him. The hero had been unwilling to believe that the other didn't know of Lady Shibabawa or even the meaning of the Disaster Levels. But one look in his dull-looking brown eyes; and the guy knew.

He didn't know of them before; his words rang in his head. _'If Heroes run away; who's left to fight?'_ It had settled deeply within him. These weren't the words of a fraud or a cheater. They were too pure to be seen as anything but the mind frame of one who could be said was the very definition of a true hero. After realizing this; the man had been forced to realize what his comrades had done.

They had let jealousy and greed blind them. The ugly emotions taking hold and driving them to try to scare the man out of the hero association. With one stunt; they had opened the floodgates that were ridicule and mistrust. The hero; though prideful and egotistical still knew when to admit that he made a mistake. It was the very thing that made him human; being able to see his faults and own up to them.

Unaware of the other hero in the room; the tank-topped man nodded to himself. Eyes resolute in his decision, his fingers curling into loose fists. So, lost was he in his thoughts; he couldn't feel the studying icy-blue eyes on him. In the next chair over, body taut and limbs stiff sat Flashy Flash. His slim fingers curled in to his palms; manicured nails digging slightly into the skin.

Though his body language didn't tell too much; within the man were jumbled and angry thoughts. His mind seething with the information he had gleamed from the bald hero's unexpecting appearance. The ninja wouldn't be able to tell anyone why if one asked; but something about the other rubbed against him in the wrong way. Not like the hero truly thought the man was evil or a cheat. But it was an unpleasing; heavy feeling within his stomach.

Something about Saitama simply infuriated the effeminate man. Whether it was jealousy or another type of emotion along those lines; he didn't know. They hadn't even met before and the hero had taken an immediate disliking to his fellow hero. One part; deeply seated, so far that it had gone unnoticed, wanted to get close to him. Like all the others; he was falling prey to the charisma. Unlike the others, however; was a block.

Sown deeper than the other emotion; was the drive to go against the bald man. Like he had to prove himself. It would turn into a love-hate relationship; possibly one-sided, if it ever developed. The ice-blonde, long haired hero nodded to himself. Mouth setting into a displeased line as his decision was made.

* * *

Outside; unknown to the resolute, silent heroes a fight between titans was raging above all. It was going by unseen; yet each of the heroes outside felt something was happening. They just couldn't tell what. The ship was dark in the sky; smoking and trembling worse than before, but unmoving from its placement. If one were to look hard enough; they would see, in the distance, random beams of light.

Following in its wake would be trails of fire; the force of the attacks tearing into the top of the aircraft. Two beings bounced around each other; no words needing to be passed between them, a simple feeling of understanding. A type of kinship really as they traded blows. Before long; a sonic boom pierced the heavy weight of silence. A wide shaft of bright energy drawing every eye as it shot into the sky.

Mouths agape; they began to stand. Eyes wide as they followed the beam until it dissipated. A new, unsettling type of silence fell over the group. None knew what to say, they didn't know what to do. They felt like sitting ducks.

Before each of them could fall into that depressing thought; there was a sudden rush of air. The weight and influx so great that they couldn't breathe. Lungs strained as their minds seemed to freeze. Following the displaced air; there was an earth-rattling crash. The rush of sound breaking pierced their eardrums; making everything slightly muffled.

Everyone was looking at the ship now; frozen in shock as whatever had landed on it forced the heavy; previously thought unmovable craft to tilt drastically. So greatly did it bend, that they could see atop the ship. Everything was still a mere speck, it was sitting so high in the sky. But they could see a thing of white and then a sudden splash of red. What looked like a visible push of air backed away from the color.

It was almost like how Silver Fang could put so much power into his attacks; it forced the air to move and create a path with it. Eyes were straining; many of them remained unblinking, causing tears to well in their eyes as they saw a ray of energy. They were helpless to watch; deep-rooted fear burying further in their bellies, as the energy grew. It was like a burning star; almost as large as Pluto. Each person was forced to close their eyes; the light emanating from it so great that it began to burn, even the tears welling had dried.

As each of them rubbed at their eyes; desperately trying to get liquid back in so they could open, once more a heavy silence blanketed them. It wasn't like the awkward; helpless feeling they had each been overcome with. Instead; it was a peaceful kind of quiet, like they were company to ones they've known all of their lives. Above them; the sky was blue and bright. But, surprising to each of them; the clouds were split.

As far as the eye could see; the clouds were parted before curving into the distance. The comfortable silence was broken as the ship shuddered then began to fall. They could only watch as it dropped. It fell rapidly; almost too fast for them to stop it. Before it could connect with the earth, the ship was enshrouded in green.

* * *

A heavy exhale of breath was the only sign of strain as every eye swiveled to the esper. Mouth set firmly as her hand splayed out in front of her; matching energy wrapped around the woman like a second skin. They could see sweat beading at her forehead, but otherwise she seemed able to cope. The odd bunch of people let out a breath as one; relief flooding each of them when they saw the ship stop. The relief was shattered by an angry voice.

"Well, what are you standing around for? _**Move!"**_ The heroine yelled furiously; her voice echoing on the wind as each of them ran away from her. Many of them went through the chink in the roof; but others like Genos and Metal Knight and Child Emperor had gone down from the lip. Each hero preferring to jump off the roof and let their various gadgets and machinery catch them than stay another moment with an angry woman. They each landed, one after the other; Genos with a flare of fire, feet gently touching the rubble, Metal Knight with an equally efficient if not less gentle landing and Child Emperor slowing as a parachute burst from his pack. The spider legs pushing from their confines and touching the earth as he jolted.

Once each of the trio were settled; relief bubbling up – they were very happy to have gotten away from her – they were met with confounded looks from a group of four. The battered; weary heroes had just gotten out from under the aircraft as it began to fall. It had fallen so quickly that if the heroine hadn't stopped it, at least one of them would've been put in the Hero Association Hospital. None of them were admitting which though. Child Emperor opened his mouth; brain whirring as he readied himself to explain the current situation.

But before he could; there was a shifting of rubble and the sound of shoes skidding along stone. Each of them turned towards the sound; various emotions flashing across their faces as Amai Mask steadied himself on uneven ground. The Child Genius went to greet the familiar hero but found himself unable to as Metal Bat approached him angrily. Before any could stop him; the pompadour-wearing hero was in the model's face. Dark eyes flat with anger as they _exchanged_ words.

An uncomfortable beat of silence passed between the remaining heroes; none of them wanting to step between the two warring males. But before things could dial up further; the sound of metal burst, smoke billowing out from its source as the green energy seemed to pop from around the ship. Once the energy had disappeared; the vessel dropped like a stone; the ground shuddering beneath their feet on impact. Almost as one; the group looked towards the torn hole; smoke still blocking their vision. Before any of them could react; a figure stepped out from the smoke.

Each of them stiffened; silently agreeing with each other to take out the approaching threat. They all took to their various battle stances. But, before any could attack first; light reflected from the figure, the sound of feet crunching on the ground now audible as it approached. "Genos, you okay?" An oh-so-familiar voice rang out; instantly making many of the heroes drop their positions. The group who recognized the voice exhaled collectively; shoulders relaxing as the bald hero approached.

"Saitama," Amai Mask called out; voice light and friendly, completely different from the tone he had taken with them and Metal Bat. "you're here." Sei could practically hear the smile in the actor's tone. Saitama stepped from the smoke; dirt spattered over his face, suit bearing tears in various places. Though it looked like his cape had taken the brunt of the damage. Instead of it going down to his ankles; it was burned up until his shoulders, the right part of it having burnt a little more actually.

It exposed his clothed; muscular shoulder. A dopey smile rested on the bald hero's lips; he was completely unaware of the surprise he gave the others. Though those who considered themselves his friends felt less than those who didn't being just a little more familiar with the man. "Hey, Jun." He greeted the blue-haired man; hand raised in a slight wave before he stopped in front of the group. "I didn't know you were going to be here." He continued; weight shifting to his right leg as he spoke so casually to the popular hero.

Sei looked around discreetly; hazel eyes taking in the way many of the man's friends had gravitated towards him. The child genius included. Before the man had appeared; he was standing closer to Metal Knight, the bunch of heroes standing in a loose, awkward half-circle. But now; the child found himself standing to Saitama's right, he had unconsciously stepped to the older hero. So unaware was he, that he hadn't realized his spider-legs had retracted; the lack of machinery allowing the child to step closer to the hero, nearly brushing against his muscled leg.

In a rare show of emotion; the child had been unable to stop the small laugh as he saw the gaping; wide-eyed expression worn by Atomic Samurai and Puri-Puri Prisoner. The giggle hadn't gone unnoticed. Many eyes being drawn to the youngest hero. But before the child could feel any discomfort from the sudden scrutiny; he felt a familiar weight settle on his head. Glove-clad fingers carding through his brown hair.

The action had become so comforting to the hero that he was uncaring of the surprised looks many shot him; Metal Bat included this time. Sei didn't even care if the older man was pushing dirt into his hair. "Let's go get lunch Genos, I'm hungry." Saitama said suddenly; his voice breaking the odd silence that had overcome them. Out of the corner of his eye; Sei saw Genos open his mouth to respond, but before he could another voice rang out. "Excuse me," The familiar voice of the Minister of Justice reached them. "Mr. Saitama." He panted slightly; rushing up to the gaggle of heroes. "I would like to speak to you. Please follow me." The man was bent over his knees slightly; face flushed pink as he panted.

He looked as if he had rushed to take the stairs down. The position left the man folded on himself; entirely unaware of the fact that he had many eyes watching him. Most of them were filled with suspicion; some with anger as well. Unconsciously the group of heroes moved; forming an unnecessary barrier around Saitama. "Why do you want to speak with Saitama-Sensei?" Genos asked first.

This inquiry was followed by "Can't we take care of this another time, Minster?" Amai Mask asked; voice smooth and sweet, like honey. "Sure, dude." Saitama's voice was a beat after the model's; broad shoulders shrugging as he scratched his ear. "Can I get food though? I'm hungry." He reiterated; glove-clad hands moving towards his flat stomach. Sei wanted to laugh as he could see the Minister relax visibly. "Of course, do you have any preferences?" He asked; turning away from the rest of heroes as Saitama pushed towards the man.

* * *

Sei found himself following; small hand clenched in the material that was the pant leg of his hero suit. The child genius didn't have to look back to see the others following; some were curious about the conversation to be had, but others just didn't want to leave the bald man's presence yet. The walk back through the association building had been an uncomfortable one. Many of the workers stared; some murmuring to co-workers as they pointed. It was unnerving to be under such scrutiny right now.

But, as much as he disliked to admit it; Sei could understand why they did it. They made for an odd sight; a group of eight high-ranking heroes; all but one of which were S-Class – the A-Class being the most popular one – and a ninth, somewhat recognizable hero walking with the Minister for Justice. It made the child genius admire Saitama a little more; how unwavering he was about the attention, even though he knew the elder could hear their words. Clearer than they could too. They moved as an odd bunch; drawing more and more attention as they delved deeper within the headquarters. The child hero let a breath escape him as they finally reached the meeting room once more. The room was bright again; the lights kicking in again in the time they had been outside.

Because of the brighter lighting; they could better see the disarray they had left the room in. Chairs were toppled over and papers littered the floor; if one were to look close enough, they could even see a tiny, near-miniscule dent where Genos had collided with the wall when they were thrown. In the room stood Superalloy Darkshine; leaning against a wall, the Tornado of Terror floating a few feet away from him, closer to the door. Tanktop Master and Flashy Flash were in their seats; different colored eyes resting on Saitama.

Tanktop Master had a look of curiosity and mild scrutiny. But Flashy Flash wore an expression of disdain; his nose scrunched up as if he smelt something bad. Unlike the less-than-savory look he gave Saitama, his eyes spoke of curiosity and want. "Would you like me to send the others home?" Sitch's voice broke through Child Emperor's thoughts. His fingers curled; his grip tightening on the man's pantleg. He had yet to let go of it.

"Nah, it's fine." Saitama said dismissively; unaware of the fact that many heroes relaxed with his words. "Very, well." Sitch said; dabbing at the cold sweat on his forehead. Unlike the bald hero; the Minister _had_ seen many displeased looks. It wouldn't have been an easy task; but the man felt he could've gotten them to leave, if the hero so wished. Even if he came to regret that decision later.

Sitch took a deep breath; steadying any nerves as he opened his mouth. "I would like to ask you some questions Mr. Saitama."

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or its Characters. The Creator and Author do.**

 **Author's Note: Hey, guys. I'm so sorry for disappearing on everyone. Some people have been telling me that I've been putting a lot of effort into this story; and that I didn't have to apologize for not doing daily updates.**

 **With that in mind, I'm going to do so anyway. I appreciate the kind words; they make my day. But, I am sorry for stopping like that. They were right, I burnt myself out. I really struggled with coming back to this. I wanted to come back sooner but I just could not** **find a way to go through this chapter.**

 **So, I apologize if this chapter is subpar. But I'm going with it anyway; I've been building towards this part, but right now I just want to get past it. I am going to delve into Manga/Webcomic and AU territory, so the story isn't ending. I just want to move from this bit and into another. Expect for the next few chapters to be fillers. I still have to map out a bit of what I want to happen before I try to work on it.**

 **I do have some in mind, so hopefully that will take less time than I expect. But, even if it takes a bit of time, expect that I will come back. I will not let this story slip through the cracks. Anyway; thanks for sticking with me. I'm glad to be back. Please leave kind reviews and constructive criticism. If you'd like to make suggestions for various parts going further in, PM me.**


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